Kristy Salt woke up Friday to the sound of wood crackling nearby and a loud boom. Next came the heat. A fire raced through her camp, about a dozen tents and shacks nestled on a hill between Highway 99 and Interstate 5.
A 911 call at 7:40 a.m. reported the blaze in the homeless encampment near the Bonneville Power Administration Ross Complex. The Vancouver Fire Department responded. According to dispatch logs, it took about 40 minutes to put out the fire.
David Schmitke, a spokesman for Clark County Fire District 6, which was also on scene, said it appears a warming fire got out of control. No residents were harmed in the fire, he said.
Many camp residents said they awoke to the fire and the heat. Salt and others said the fire started in a tent and spread to a shack next door.
The fire shot up two large trees and started creeping down the hill. The Columbian visited the site Friday morning to see two tree trunks charred 20 feet upward. A pile of belongings, including a dresser, twin bed frame, barbecue, oxygen tank and a gumball machine were also scorched.
A propane tank also sat in the pile, which Salt said she thinks may have caused the large boom that morning. The flames also crisped a neighboring tent but were put out before they could catch the owner’s belongings on fire.
A nearby resident awoke to the heat radiating through his tent. He said he started pouring gallons of water on the fire before firefighters arrived on the scene.
The blaze could have been deadly. When the fire broke out, residents began calling for others living farther down the hill to evacuate. But the noise of traffic from the nearby freeway drowned out their voices, campers said.
One woman living on the slope said she couldn’t hear any of the shouts. It was only when someone felt the heat and heard the fire engines that they were alerted. People grabbed their pets and ran down the hill, escaping onto the freeway.
“Everybody is OK here. But it could have been bad. If this got any worse, this whole place could have caught on fire,” said Salt, 62, looking up at the thick tree canopy. “It was very scary.”
The encampment is also difficult to reach. Schmitke said firefighters had to stretch about 450 feet of hose along the railroad tracks. The Columbian trekked up several steep, dirt hills to reach the community.
Schmitke said warming fires getting out of control are all too common. This time of year, the days are grayer and colder but the landscape is still very dry, Schmitke said.
“As the weather starts getting colder, we’re in the situation where people have these warming fires, and do you want to be the one that goes up to say, ‘Hey, it’s freezing, but you got to put that out,’ ” Schmitke said. “We try to use a dose of humanity, but it’s frustrating when it happens regularly.”
The encampment on the hill is wedged between two main roads. It’s also not that far away from the Ross Complex.
“It’s a critical and sensitive area,” Schmitke said.
Salt said she’s concerned the fire might force the community to relocate. Many campers have lived on the hill for years. The Columbian saw various shacks, gardens and a chicken that produces eggs for the residents.
Salt, who has experienced homelessness off and on for 14 years, moved to the community in May after she lost her job. But things are looking up for her, she said. She recently got set up to receive Social Security, bought a car and has made plans to move to Alaska with a friend. She said that moving spots might slightly upend her progress, as moving is always a hassle and there aren’t many safe, available places to camp. But she’s optimistic things will work out. Other campers said if they have to move, they know there are resources to help them.
“We help each other, take care of each other,” Salt said.
Fellow camp residents said Friday’s fire was an example of that.
