Olympia Fire responds to overnight blaze at homeless camp near Wheeler Avenue
Olympia Fire Department responded to a fire at a homeless camp near Wheeler Avenue Southeast late Wednesday night that firefighters believe displaced one person from their dwelling.
The blaze was initially reported as a commercial vehicle fire near the 1400 block of Wheeler Avenue at about 11:30 p.m., Batallion Chief Todd Carson told The Olympian. But the first engine arrived to find a structure within the camp, not a vehicle, had caught fire.
The fire was large, visible from Interstate 5, and prompted multiple reports, Carson said. Ultimately, the response involved three engines, a ladder truck, a battalion unit, and a medic unit.
Firefighters believe the fire displaced only the person living in the dwelling that burned, who other people at the camp said they had not seen in a couple days, according to Carson. No injuries were reported.
The fire was resolved by about midnight, according to Carson, and the cause of the fire was undetermined as of Thursday morning.
Wheeler Avenue was shut down during the response.
This story was originally published June 18, 2020 at 7:48 AM.
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