UPDATE: Another encampment fire near Station 36

(Framegrab from nearby traffic camera, 11:06 pm Wednesday)

THURSDAY REPORT: Last Friday, we reported on vandalism attacks at Fire Station 36 at the north end of Delridge, along with the station’s concerns about a nearby encampment that had been the scene of multiple fires. Late last night, one Seattle Fire engine was dispatched to another fire in the area. The emergency-radio exchanges at the time mentioned possible propane-tank involvement. We followed up this morning with SFD, whose spokesperson Kristin Tinsley tells us:

We responded to a fire at an encampment, located under the off-ramp. There appear to be a few tents that burned, and bicycles. Around 4-5 propane tanks exploded as part of the fire. SDOT was contacted to conduct an assessment of the underside of the off ramp, as the fire impinged on the structure. No reported injuries, awaiting information about cause.

We also asked about the status of the requests Station 36 made following the incident last week, including removal of nearby encampments. Tinsley said that information probably won’t be available until tomorrow because of the holiday. Same for SDOT, but we’re checking.

FRIDAY UPDATE: No new info on the safety measures, but here’s how SDOT answered our question about the requested “assessment”:

We conducted an initial visual inspection on Thursday morning and did not see any indications of major damage from the fire that could compromise the structural integrity of the bridge. We are planning to conduct an in-depth structural evaluation over the coming days to determine if any repairs are necessary. To note, the fire occurred under a ramp that is currently closed to traffic as part of the overall West Seattle Bridge closure, not the actual bridge itself.

Derek November 11, 2021 (12:01 pm)

There was no one at the fire when they showed up and this is just one guy over in that spot. Calling it a “homeless encampment fire” is disingenuous. At best.

WSB November 11, 2021 (1:02 pm)

No, it’s not. I did not just append that label … it’s how this incident is logged. (See 10:45 pm, Chelan Ave., which is where it was reported from – the offramp itself doesn’t have an actual address http://www2.seattle.gov/fire/realtime911/getRecsForDatePub.asp?incDate=11%2F10%2F2021&rad1=des ) Whether anyone was there when responders arrived is not relevant to the classification. A house fire is a house fire, for example, whether it’s vacant, occupied, residents were or were not at home. – TR
- Concerned WestSeattlelite November 11, 2021 (1:52 pm)
  
  Thank you Tracy for giving an example. It helped me understand.
Cranky November 11, 2021 (1:08 pm)

oh please… get real and quit acting like you know something better than anyone else. It’s an encampment, if you bothered to actually go by and look at it. It’s multiple fires. ………and this guy has been there for a good bit and had numerous interactions about fire with the fire dept
Tony G November 11, 2021 (2:53 pm)

Derek, it was a fire and at a homeless camp, why is this disingenuous. How else can you report it.

StopCuttingDownTrees November 11, 2021 (12:03 pm)

Hopefully, the end of this illegal camping iNsAniTy is in sight with Mayor-Elect Harrell and City Attorney-Elect Davison taking over in 52 days. Let the sweeps begin.

Derek November 11, 2021 (12:43 pm)

Sweeps are inhumane and cost the city more money. They just push the problem elsewhere. We need more viable housing solutions. Fix the root not the cause.

Harrell doesn’t support sweeps and vowed for more creative approaches,
- ltfd November 11, 2021 (1:19 pm)
  
  Fixing meth addiction is tough, for sure.
- StopCuttingDownTrees November 11, 2021 (1:48 pm)
  
  Letting people wallow in their own hazardous filth is far more inhumane.
  - S.A. November 11, 2021 (3:02 pm)
    
    Sweeps don’t solve that problem. They just push people to other (dangerous, unsanitary, exposed) places while often separating them from their possessions that they need to live (tents, clothes, sleeping bags, ID documents). Sweeps literally do nothing to solve the problem of people living in “hazardous filth.” If you care about people’s right to live in safe, sanitary conditions, you’ll focus on housing.
    - Busy November 14, 2021 (11:35 pm)
      
      Enabling doesn’t help either. At some point you have to realize that most of these camps, aren’t someone just down on their luck. But people that having been living that way a long time. Few reasons for that other than addiction, mental illness or anti-social. If their addicts we can offer them help but can’t make them get sober. If they’re mentally ill, we can help in many ways, but can’t force them to take treatment. If their anti social and don’t want to live by societies rules, I’d prefer they did that elsewhere, where it doesn’t raise my taxes in vain, denigrate my town, harm my civil servants etc. allowing the camps enables addicts to remain addicts, mentally ill to remain ill, and criminals to continue harm our city with no recourse. And the living standards are not humane. Meth, TB, covid, feces, Shigella (which hasn’t really been seen since who knows when..) it’s good to have empathy. But sometimes that means forcing change rather than enabling sickness.
- nwpolitico November 11, 2021 (1:58 pm)
  
  Fixing the root causes is the most important thing in the long run, but it does not solve the immediate public safety issues presented by these types of encampments. It is possible to remove encampments from public spaces and build affordable housing/increase accessibility of treatment services simultaneously. A combined approach is what is needed to solve this crisis.
- Balderdash November 11, 2021 (2:08 pm)
  
  root? like meth, fentanyl? Heroin… or perhaps mental illness, tendency to violence/assault? Inhumane is letting them just sprawl out wherever they want to.
- JVP November 11, 2021 (2:28 pm)
  
  The root cause of this particular type of homelessness is psychosis from P2P meth addiction, not housing. Yes, we need to fix the root cause. Encouraging folks to stay high and keep living outside is destroying them. Enabling them to continue like this is cruel. Being “Seattle nice” is cruel and causes much harm. Compulsory detox with mental health support is the only viable path forward. Tough love is called for.
  - S.A. November 11, 2021 (5:22 pm)
    
    You want them off the street, but you want them off the street on YOUR terms. Right there is part of the problem.
  - Derek November 11, 2021 (10:03 pm)
    
    Jvp, this is the most wrong answer I’ve ever seen. And your zero-empathy approach will only make housing issues worse. We need tiny house villages and more sustainable long term housing solutions. No one wants to sleep in the cold and not everyone is on drugs. Drugs is a symptom not a cause. Period.
Concerned Citizen November 11, 2021 (12:56 pm)

Giuliani style! Drastic times call for drastic measures!
- miws November 11, 2021 (3:27 pm)
  
  What, gather at Four Seasons Landscaping?
  - wscommuter November 11, 2021 (5:56 pm)
    
    MIWS for the win — loud guffaw.
  - Rache November 11, 2021 (11:18 pm)
    
    LOL! Thanks, MIWS!
- Cd November 11, 2021 (5:44 pm)
  
  Good idea Concerned. I don’t see any other way of getting things back to normal than looking at how he cleaned up Times Square. Seattle needs s o m e t h i n g. It has been frustrating watching this happen over decades and knowing the outcome but not being able to get citizens or politicians to care. People care now that it has blown up. Too late.

Flivver November 11, 2021 (12:06 pm)

Hopefully competent engineers are checking for any damage to the off ramp.

Steve November 11, 2021 (12:20 pm)

It made a loud explosion. I live just over a block away.

newnative November 11, 2021 (1:51 pm)

We heard it in the Admiral District.

sw November 11, 2021 (12:47 pm)

Ok… enough is enough. Propane tank explosions underneath roadways is a tipping point. I have compassion toward the homeless but this is now a public safety issue.

Cd November 11, 2021 (5:47 pm)

I agree. There were several fires under I5 and the WS Bridge in the past.

MJ November 11, 2021 (2:39 pm)

City polititions keep stating that discrimination needs to stop, agreed. It’s time the City walk the walk and stop giving a pass to illegal camping in parks and sidewalks (a camp on vacant city ROW that is kept respectful is ok by me) needs to be enforced.

Jason November 11, 2021 (2:39 pm)

How much are we spending to fit the bridge which has impacted 100,000 people on a weekly basis. It would be insane to continue to let an individual who can’t or won’t play by the rules of civil society put a key piece of infrastructure at risk. Come on city, force their hand and move them out. NO you can’t stay here, NO you can’t act like that, NO you can’t put the rest of us at risk. To do anything less is insane and inhumane.

Jason November 11, 2021 (3:22 pm)

Come on city, what are we waiting for, one of these fires to actually ruin key infrastructure? Try to get these folks the help they need but make it clear that they can’t stay and they can’t continue their current actions. Allowing them to stay isn’t compassionate or humane.

A Different James November 11, 2021 (4:22 pm)

I agree! I work hard for what I have and everyone else needs to do the same! No one gave me a handout, I pulled myself up by my bootstraps! Why should my taxes be wasted on police and fire responses to the homeless? It’s time we round up all the homeless and make them leave! We need more police to sweep the city and keep the homeless out, and I thank God every day that new leadership will bring much-needed law and order to a city that’s gone soft under progressive values! We need harsher drug laws and zero tolerance for homelessness! Charity starts at home, so people should look to their own first! And guns! We need more guns! And less government! Forget what I said about city leadership and police, we need to arm ourselves and take up neighborhood watch groups the way God intended. Dominion over land!
- wscommuter November 11, 2021 (6:00 pm)
  
  Your screed lumping everyone who is fed up with this behavior into a caricature of right-wing callousness is both pointless and counterproductive to your point. Unless you think what happened here is ok. Most folks support systemic change toward devoting resources to feed, house and treat the addicted and mentally ill. It is not a mutually inconsistent position to also observe that dangerous behavior by someone like this particular knucklehead is unacceptable and must be dealt with, now.
- Derek November 11, 2021 (7:49 pm)
  
  Seriously messed up post. Stop being so cruel about the homeless.
  - Michael Hock November 11, 2021 (11:20 pm)
    
    In fairness to A Different James, his comment is satirical – though it took me a couple read-throughout to realize that!
  - sgs November 12, 2021 (9:09 pm)
    
    Your heart is in the right place, but try to open up your perspective a bit. It’s cruel to let this situation continue. Homeless people usually have no safety net, and if anyone will end up getting hurt, it’s most likely the person setting propane canisters on fire under the bridge.
- Enough November 11, 2021 (9:28 pm)
  
  You are absolutely right in every way A different James. At least you have a realistic understanding of this. Thanks.

ARPigeonPoint November 11, 2021 (4:08 pm)

The explosion was so loud, my heart rate was still not back to normal 20 minutes later. Entire house shook. I live four houses down from the area in question. Fires under bridges are…not good for bridges.

Mj November 11, 2021 (4:25 pm)

Jason – the impact is over 100,000 people on a daily basis not weekly, pre Covid traffic data.

Jason November 11, 2021 (6:26 pm)

I’m just saying the bridge closure impacts all 100K residents of WS each week, many on a daily basis. Yeah, once Covid ends we’ll see the effects of the closure grow worse.

bill November 11, 2021 (4:43 pm)

How many burned bicycles? Was this another bike chop shop? Exploding propane tanks? If the safest thing for firefighters is to stand back and let them explode, I’m all for that. Be safe, and I admire the job you do. The chop shop/encampment under the ramp from southbound 99 to Spokane burned up around the 4th of July. There were scores of burned up bikes. Wasn’t called in, nothing in the fire department log AFAIK. SDOT thanked me for reporting it, and had to do some small repairs to the overpass. Encampments that endanger infrastructure need to be removed! There’s another under the Alaskan flyover north of Atlantic, tucked up tight under the bridge, surrounded with heavy blankets concealing who knows what. I’ve reported that one and the response was, “homeless, can’t touch, yada yada yada.” My heart goes out to people living outdoors in our climate, and I wish the city would at least provide some basic services like sanitation, but I have to draw the line at endangering public property. Do we really need another bridge disabled?

John Le November 11, 2021 (11:05 pm)

I do not always feel safe in west Seattle.

Eldorado November 12, 2021 (7:38 am)

If we aren’t going to use the word ‘sweep’ or ‘encampment’ let’s try using the words ‘relocate these dangerous and unsightly congregations’ for the safety and well being of others!

S.A. November 12, 2021 (1:19 pm)

“Relocate” them where? We sweep debris into a dustpan and put it in the trash. We rake leaves into a bag and put it in the compost. Human beings are not trash or compost. Where do they go?
- Eldorado November 12, 2021 (4:14 pm)
  
  S.A. ~ There is plenty of land in King County that could be a suitable place fitted with tiny homes and sanitary facilities and free busses to allow people to go downtown or wherever. In no way am I comparing nor using the metaphor that humans are debris or garbage or any such thing.

sgs November 12, 2021 (8:13 am)

Such a waste to leave it at “My way is right, your way is wrong.” Let’s come to a solution! I think safe to say no one wants human suffering on the streets. Time to stop one upping and judging one another – time to figure out where there is common ground and a compromise solution can be implemented.

Eldorado November 12, 2021 (4:16 pm)

I agree completely.

Balderdash November 12, 2021 (8:39 am)

if ‘encampments’ (that’s what they are) encroach into areas where they are ridiculously dangerous, we need to ‘sweep’ them out of that area (it’s what needs to happen). Just because someone ‘can’ drop a tent somewhere doesn’t mean we have to put with it. Furthermore: Kenny Stuart, president of the Seattle Firefighters’ Union is calling on city leaders to act immediately.“We need to end these encampments as soon as possible,” he said. “So we don’t go back again and again to the issues that should be mitigated by a major metropolitan city.”Stuart said his union members face all kinds of dangerous obstacles at the encampments that extend beyond the flames, including navigating around combustibles like propane tanks, drug needles, human feces, all while trying to avoid confrontations with the camp residents who harass the firefighters.

S.A. November 12, 2021 (1:18 pm)

“Sweep” them to where? All the same things will continue, just in another spot.

tom November 12, 2021 (12:10 pm)

“…screed lumping everyone who is fed up with this behavior into a caricature of right-wing callousness is both pointless and counterproductive to your point. …Most folks support systemic change toward devoting resources to feed, house and treat the addicted and mentally ill. It is not a mutually inconsistent position to also observe that dangerous behavior by someone like this particular knucklehead is unacceptable and must be dealt with, now. ” so good

Eldorado November 12, 2021 (4:19 pm)

Very much agree.

WSB November 12, 2021 (7:51 pm)

Added above, SDOT’s response today to our followup about the ramp structure under which this happened. – TR

Auntie November 12, 2021 (7:57 pm)

Yeah, the damage occurred to a part of the structure not currently being used. But maybe when you put some stress on it (like a car or a bus) it might not be so sturdy due to this damage? More investigation is needed and this “encampment” needs to go away. Give the person(s) the help they need and if they don’t want it, then they just need to go somewhere they are not endangering others. I’m really tired of these persons who endanger others being cast as victims.

Sorry, comment time is over.