Fire breaks out at homeless camp off Wheeler Ave. in Olympia
No injuries were reported as a result of a fire that broke out just before 6 a.m. Thursday at a homeless camp south of Wheeler Avenue Southeast, according to Olympia Fire Department.
The fire was on a City of Olympia-owned parcel known as the Nickerson property near the 1400 block of Wheeler Avenue, adjacent to Interstate 5. Police closed off some roads in the area as crews worked to put out the fire estimated to be 50 feet by 50 feet in size, according to Kevin Bossard, assistant chief fire marshal.
The fire was out by 7 a.m.
City officials issued a statement Thursday afternoon saying the fire is believed to have been started by a propane heater that ignited bedding material. It destroyed all of the residents’ possessions.
The city will coordinate a cleanup of the fire debris sometime in the coming week.
That area of Wheeler Avenue has unsanctioned homeless camps. Because of this week’s unseasonably cold temperatures that dipped into the 20s overnight in some areas, Thurston County worked to provide extra shelter beds in Olympia, though not enough for all the city’s homeless population.
This story was originally published October 31, 2019 at 7:42 AM.
