Campbell River firefighters were called to a large blaze at a homeless camp Thursday night where they encountered several traps” while accessing the location in a wooded area near Highway 28 and Highway 19.
“Yes, when they were trying to find access in the crews did find a few areas where there was some fishing line and barbed wire across the trail network at some pretty concerning heights like at the thigh and neck level,” said Campbell River Fire Chief Thomas Doherty.
It’s not believed the man was targeting firefighters or police with the traps, but other homeless people who come in the night to steal stuff.
The camp, used by a single man, was full of other dangers as well.
“You never know what you’re going to find in here, there’s a lot of combustible material, there’s a lot of flammables,” added Doherty. “I think there were six propane cylinders on site that were involved in the fire.”
The man had left a fire burning in a homemade fireplace that spread through the camp after he left.
“Today he says if he would have fallen asleep instead of going to McDonald’s he would be dead because it just went up in minutes. Everything was a wooden structure there,” said Ray Goodwin, a volunteer outreach worker who knows the man.
Goodwin says the man had been “reno-victed” from his previous home and had been living in the camp all summer.
Goodwin who also used to be homeless says while the public might not be sympathetic he definitely feels bad for the man.
“He’s a good person,” said Goodwin. “He had it set up like a home, he had a pond there, he had a garden with flowers and everything you know. He was just in a bad situation where he had to live outside and fend for himself.”
Fire Chief Doherty says had the fire occurred in the summer when it was drier it could have turned into a major problem.
“Fortunately the residents were not injured,” said Campbell River RCMP Constable Maury Tyre. “It is however a reminder of the safety concerns that can be posed with makeshift structures and encampments. In a situation such as this, not only was there a risk to the campers, but to the forest, nearby buildings if the fire spread, and to the people of the Campbell River Fire Dept. who had to fight the fire in a very tricky location.”
Dean Stoltz
