No injuries, increased concern in wake of encampment fire

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This article was published 04/12/2022 (752 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

At his makeshift home at a Higgins Avenue encampment, Damian woke Monday morning to the sight of flames licking up the side of a building a few metres away.

There was an explosion, and perhaps some shrapnel, he said later in the day, examining a small, round tear in his jeans and a rip in his jacket.

“It was a pretty deadly fire,” said Damian, who asked to be identified only by his first name. The man said he’s been homeless and staying at the Higgins encampment on and off for the past six years.

Damian said he’s used to seeing small fires at such Winnipeg camps — accidents or results of domestic disputes — and was grateful no one was hurt Monday.

Firefighters were called to a blaze on the first 100 block of Higgins at 8:20 a.m., and had it under control within 20 minutes, the City of Winnipeg said. The cause is still under investigation.

It’s the latest of several recent fires at encampments as the temperature drops, including two last month on the 600 block of Langside Street, the latter of which destroyed several tents.

Damian said he didn’t see how Monday’s fire started but believed it was accidental.

There were only two people staying at the encampment as of Monday afternoon. The second man, who used a wood stove to keep warm, declined to speak to the Free Press.

On Monday, volunteers dropped off 60 bags of firewood on site and at a nearby encampment near the Louise Bridge in an effort to help people stay warm and not burn dangerous materials.

Gina Smoke, who works in Indigenous relations for labour giant Unifor, has been visiting the camps three times a week to check on residents and drop off wood, winter clothes or hot soup.

Her employer partially funds the items, and she pays out of pocket and collects donations — work she’s been doing since she began walking with the Mama Bear Clan volunteer patrol about three years ago. Smoke acknowledged she sometimes has mixed feelings about bringing firewood; she doesn’t want to contribute to a dangerous situation.

However, due to the cold, “They need wood, though, to survive.”

A few weeks ago, there were up to 20 people staying in the Higgins Avenue encampment, she said.

“It’s painful for me to watch another human being suffer when there should be help for them,” Smoke said. “I don’t think that I could survive out there. I’m blown away that these guys have found a way to survive our crazy climate, and the least I can do is help.”

The growth of encampments in the city over the past few years means “It’s not just about fire safety,” said Tom Bilous, president of the United Fire Fighters of Winnipeg. As social and economic problems grow and worsen, “so will these camps.”

“Some of the steps these people are taking are life and death,” he acknowledged, adding simply shutting down such camps is not a solution.

However, many of the fires involved in keeping those people warm are “inherently unsafe” or burning plastics or hazardous material. There have been many “near-misses” for camp residents and firefighters, he said.

“I don’t think Winnipeggers fully appreciate how much of this is going on. It may not be in their backyards, but it’s happening all over the city.”

katie.may@freepress.mb.ca