People in Portland's Overlook Park neighborhood are voicing frustration after they say a homeless camp fire put homes at risk on Friday.
Chris Poe moved to the area in May, and this was the second hillside fire to come near his home in four months. Poe said he's worried about the lack of prevention.
"You may just see me down there with a chainsaw and a woodchipper. I was looking at them today, they’re about $700--700 bucks to save our block is probably not too much of an expense for me. You would think that the city would maybe do something about it but I’m down to take action myself," he said.
Neighbors said they heard from fire crews that Friday's incident started within a homeless camp. Poe tells KATU News the fire was above the trees within minutes. He went door to door trying to wake neighbors.
"It is crazy. But at the same time, I either wait around for the city to do something with my tax dollars or I just do it myself. Right now, what I saw in a matter of seven minutes is that a house can go up in flames in that time. So as we continue to wait, how many more seven-minute windows do we have of a fire before that reaches a house?" Poe said.
Casey Boggs said he's reached out to city agencies to share this issue on multiple occasions. Without action soon, Boggs may find a new place to call home.
"We’ve been here 16 years and we’re going to likely move. I’m involved with my church, I’m with the Overlook Neighborhood Association board, have been for quite some time. I’m a business owner, so I have a business here and it would be a lot for us to uproot but we have to," he said.
Portland Fire Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty responded Friday evening:
“This year in particular Portland is seeing the catastrophic effects of climate change, including the increased fire risk this is causing to our region. As the Fire Commissioner, I’ve been working with Chief Boone, my colleagues, and City bureaus to ensure we have a proactive approach to help mitigate as many fires as we can from any possible cause.
The cause of the fire that occurred last night in Overlook Park is undetermined, but we know the fire impacted a houseless encampment. I’m thankful that at this time, there are no reports of injuries.
The Homelessness and Urban Camping Impact Reduction Program regularly works with Portland Fire & Rescue to address fire risks. An Impact Reduction crew will be removing fire debris and evaluating the situation.
The Impact Reduction team has received no filed reports for Overlook Park in the last 60 days through the One Point of Contact program. While it is not clear if the fire was on park property, we will work with Portland Parks Rangers to make sure we have any reports they may have received. If residents see a campsite they believe poses a fire risk or any other safety concerns, they should report it through the One Point of Contract program here for a risk assessment: https://pdxreporter.org/
Residents should call 911 immediately if they see open burning so firefighters can respond, extinguish the flame, and educate all residents in the area about the fire danger. Open burning is currently banned in the City of Portland.
Recently the City Council passed an ordinance restricting camping in wilderness areas that pose an excessive fire risk. In the last year, Portland Fire & Rescue has visited every houseless encampment below the Overlook community to provide information and education on fire prevention and to inform people of the current open burning ban. They have also worked closely with businesses and residents to help them reduce the risk of wildfire and damage that could occur if they are impacted by a fire. Residents can learn more about recent Council action and apply for a wildfire assessment of their property here: https://www.portland.gov/fire/your-safety/reducing-risk-wildfire
We will continue to gather all the facts and evaluate the situation to learn and plan future actions that can mitigate fire risks for all Portlanders.”