Since late fall of 2021, the controversial homeless camp alongside I-90 in Spokane has drawn crime, squalor, and complaints. This last weekend, it drew in fire crews.
2 RV’s burned to the ground
According to information from The Center Square and news reports, 2 RV’s were totally burned over the weekend at Camp Hope, the area alongside Interstate 90 near the Thor-Freya exit. The camp, which at one time had nearly 600 people living in its large open park-like area, even has its own Facebook page.
However, after months of efforts, court orders were issued to clear the camp, and if possible, help the inhabitants find shelter elsewhere.
Despite the evacuation or eviction order, about 27 people are estimated to still be living there, there are 7 RV’s parked onside.
That number dropped to 5 after a pair of what Spokane Fire crews said was likely electrically-triggered fires. One of them was caused by an overloaded circuit that was being powered by a small generator. According to fire crews, a man was inside asleep and if not for the actions of a security guard spotting the smoke and waking him up he would have likely died in the fire.
The other blaze also destroyed the RV completely, three people were able to escape. Fire crews aid the ‘hoarder’ practices of the occupants made fire suppression a lot harder inside the unit. That fire spread to a small garage on the property, it also sustained damages.
How fast the city is able to evict the final 27 residents is not yet known. Spokane began ramping up efforts to clear the camp after getting little help from the WA State Department of Transportation or other state agencies.
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