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A barbecue is kept far from a tent that was untouched after a fire tore through the encampment near the Atwater Tunnel in Montreal. Allen McInnis \/ Montreal Gazette<\/p>\nA fire tore through part of a homeless encampment near Montreal\u2019s Atwater Tunnel Tuesday night, leaving tents, belongings and debris charred at a site where nearby residents say they have repeatedly raised concerns about fire safety.<\/p>\n
The city\u2019s fire department confirmed it responded to a medium-size garbage fire at the encampment and said there were no injuries or deaths. An area resident said she called 911 at about 10:45 p.m. after seeing flames from her backyard.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere were several explosions,\u201d Sarah El Queisi said. \u201cYou could hear them \u2014 bang, bang, bang.\u201d<\/p>\n
She said she thought the explosions may have involved propane tanks, which she added she has seen around the encampment.<\/p>\n
Video provided by El Queisi to The Gazette shows flames rising from the site as emergency crews responded. <\/p>\n
When The Gazette visited Wednesday, nobody was at the encampment. A section of the site was blackened, with burned belongings and debris scattered through the area and a garbage bin scorched and warped by the heat.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was huge,\u201d El Queisi said. \u201cIt was terrifying.\u201d<\/p>\n
She said the encampment has grown considerably over the past two years.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve been telling the city over and over, and over, that there\u2019s a real fire risk here.\u201d <\/p>\n
In March, she said, she filed a 311 complaint raising concerns about conditions at the site.<\/p>\n
El Queisi said she was later told a large cleanup would take place in the spring because crews responsible for the work were assigned to snow removal during the winter.<\/p>\n
A barbecue is kept far from a tent that was untouched after a fire tore through the encampment near the Atwater Tunnel in Montreal. Allen McInnis \/ Montreal Gazette<\/p>\n
Residents also met with Sud-Ouest borough mayor V\u00e9ronique Fournier about two months ago, she added.<\/p>\n
\u201cI took her on a little walk around the encampment to show her exactly what I was talking about,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019re not cleaning it. They\u2019re not making sure that it\u2019s fire safe.\u201d<\/p>\n
In an emailed statement to The Gazette, the Sud-Ouest borough said the area \u201cis well known to the borough and is subject to regular monitoring,\u201d adding that a cleanup operation is planned shortly.<\/p>\n
The borough also confirmed its mayor met with people living near the encampment in July to discuss concerns about the area.<\/p>\n
Those interventions are guided by Montreal\u2019s protocol for managing encampments<\/a> and the Sud-Ouest borough\u2019s 2026-28 social cohabitation plan,<\/a> according to the borough.<\/p>\n Another fire broke out at the encampment last October<\/a>, and burned material remained at the site for months afterward.<\/p>\n El Queisi said people living at the encampment need more support from authorities<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019re people who need help. They don\u2019t need to be left with a hands-off approach.\u201d<\/p>\n But she said Tuesday\u2019s fire reinforced her concerns about conditions at the site, adding she\u2019s worried \u201cthere\u2019s going to be a major tragedy very soon.\u201d<\/p>\n \t\tEditor\u2019s Picks\t<\/p>\n
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