The Fredericton Police Force says, following a fire in one of the tent cities, it will close them down to ensure the safety of those experiencing homelessness.
According to the force’s police chief, Roger Brown, a fire broke out on Tuesday due to a propane heater used inside one of the tents behind the lieutenant governor’s house. The fire spread to three other tents and destroyed all the belongings for at least five other people.
“We know that although homelessness is the result of a variety of complex contributors, what we see most as the main causes, are mental health challenges, trauma, drug use and addictions,” but the power must do what it has to. residents safe, Brown said in a release Wednesday.
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He spoke directly to the fire on Tuesday.
“Last night’s fire could have been much more tragic, as propane heaters used in enclosed spaces are not only fire hazards but are also an explosion hazard and could lead to suffocation of the exhaust gases,” he said.
“As such, we will close the tent sites in the coming days to minimize the risks for the individuals who live there. Together with our partners, we will continue to encourage those who live rough lives to gain access to available shelter. ”
Warren Maddox, the executive director of Fredericton’s homeless shelter, said he supported the police’s efforts to get people in and out of the cold. He said it was for their safety.
“Having the propane heaters in tents on that site is just, it wrote ‘problem’ about it,” Maddox said in an interview Thursday.
“It’s going to be either a problem with fire or even worse, because they have all these tents that are clad with polysail, which makes them airy in many ways, you have something that has a good amount of carbon monoxide in an enclosed space. – in general, it does not end well for people. “
He said shelters in the city are currently underutilized.
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“There’s capacity within the system to get people in, out of the cold,” Maddox said. “The problem is that a lot of people just don’t want to.”
Maddox said it is often a resistance to the rules that apply at shelters and outside cold places.
“They do not want to follow rules or they do not want to do this or that and for the main shelters there are a few rules. The rules are modeled around, or (what you) tend to see, when they move into an apartment somewhere. ”
He said those living in tents and experiencing homelessness should be introduced to the system and other issues need to be addressed before permanent housing can be established.
He said when the police and municipality do move to take down the tent cities, it will not be a show of strength.
“We’re not interested in confrontation, we’re not interested in taking anyone out there who is kicking and shouting,” he said. “We spoke about it at a meeting last night. No, we do not. This is not the path we want to go.
“We will try other methods to get people in, out of the cold.”
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