There are rising safety concerns over an increase in calls for fires in wooded areas in the city.
Moncton’s Fire Chief Conrad Landry says their department has seen an increase in the number of calls to makeshift camps in the community. Some of the the results of individuals who have built fires to keep themselves warm
“I’m not talking about backyard fires to make marshmallows If it’s dry season, it can start a forest fire, or someone can get hurt. Or if there is combustibles or propane tanks around, there can be issues. Carbon monoxide is also a problem if they have it in their tents or their encampment,” Landry says.
The Fire Department responded to reports of smoke at one makeshift camp on Millennium Boulevard this week. Landry says, “We were there twice in one day this week. RCMP and By-law officers were also on site and evaluated the situation and the landowners were contacted.”
Landry says the concern is, the individuals may just move somewhere else, Next week, we are going to get calls and we are going to do the same thing. So, it is just repeating the process over and over with the same people.”
He says this isn’t always the homeless that are causing the problem, “There homeless people who are waiting for help, but they aren’t generally the ones who are causing issues. We’re doing our best to offer them the resources they need until further help is available.”
Landry says if a camp is set up on private property, landowners can call the RCMP, but the owners are responsible for the cleanup.
“If citizens drive by and spot a makeshift camp, you can contact the bylaw department. We meet every morning and we go over the sites that need to be attended to,” Landry says.