THUNDER BAY — No one was hurt after an encampment on the city’s north side caught fire Thursday morning, Thunder Bay Fire Rescue says.
Firefighters were called about a blaze at an encampment in a wooded area next to McVicar Creek near River Street, a fire department officials told Newswatch.
The fire was put out quickly and no injuries were reported.
Fires at tents and encampments aren’t uncommon, said Holly Gauvin, the executive director of Elevate NWO. Her organization is primarily a treatment program for those with hepatitis C and HIV and also works in harm reduction.
Through those efforts, she said, Elevate began strengthening relationships with those surviving in encampments and now does weekly outreach to help provide things like food and other essentials, as well as helping with getting identification, completing income tax, getting connected with healthcare and other administrative tasks.
Gauvin said fires happen every year.
“People are desperate to stay warm, or to stay dry, or to dry things out with the rainy weather that we've experienced this week,” she said.
“It doesn't surprise me that there's been a fire.”
Encampment fires can be deadly — in one example earlier this year, a person died at an encampment at the Kam River Heritage Park and two others were injured.
Gauvin said she was glad to hear Thursday’s fire didn’t have a tragic ending.
“I'm very grateful to hear that it was a small one and our quick-acting fire department was all over it, but there will be more, right?” she said.“This is surviving outdoors — at any time of year up here is not easy, particularly when you have limited gear and limited options,” said Gauvin.
“People are trying to stay warm, trying to stay dry and trying to stay safe, and it's getting harder and harder to do that.”
Elevate’s outreach staff does talk about fire safety with the people they help, Gauvin said, and, where possible, provides things like emergency blankets to try and reduce the need for starting a fire.
But, ultimately, she said, ensuring those who are homeless have a place to live, is the best solution.
“We work like hell every day to get people off the streets and into actual housing so that this isn't a conversation anymore.”
-With files from Olivia Browning
