Rise in Homeless Encampment Fires Worries CA Firefighters

As Eric Owens watched flames destroy his friend's RV in East Oakland in early May, he was reminded of his own loss. Just seven months ago, Owens lost his RV — his home for two years — to a fire.

The 59-year-old Oakland resident lost photos of his family, generators to keep him warm, clothes and a tent. Now, he lives in a dilapidated silver BMW.

"Some stuff I can never replace," he said. "I'm struggling hard."

As Oakland grapples with a swelling homeless population and as fires at encampments and in RVs become more prevalent, city leaders are scrambling to find ways to address a growing need for services. Fire officials say they have seen a rise in RV and encampment fires — a concerning trend that could turn tragic. So far, no one has died and injuries have been minimal, but dozens have lost their vehicles, sometimes the only roof over their heads, and their belongings.

From 2017 to 2019, the number of RV dwellers in Oakland grew 131% to 703 from 304, according to the most recent data available. People living in vehicles represent 35% of Oakland's overall homeless population.

Today at 621AM OFD responded to report of an RV fire at East 12th & 17th Ave. E4 arrived and found 2 RV’s & 12+ wood...
Posted by Oakland Fire Department on Tuesday, March 9, 2021

In December 2019, the city's Fire Department began tracking how many fires occurred in large vehicles and RVs. In 2020, the first full year of tracking that data, the number of RV and large vehicle fires was 80. So far this year, 51 fires were reported in RVs and large vehicles.

At homeless encampments, the number of fires swelled to 604 in 2020, but this year it's already at 304 and the year is not yet half over.

"The Fire Department is extremely concerned by the growing number of RV and homeless-encampment-related fires," said Michael Hunt, a department spokesperson. "The conditions inside the encampments are unsafe, unsanitary and pose a range of fire risks for the unhoused people living there, the surrounding area, and the firefighters who respond to incidents at all hours of the day and night."

Officials say RV fires are usually caused by running the engine too long, fuel-operated generators, gas appliances or burning wood near or inside the vehicle.

Advocates for homeless people say encampments need more resources so residents can avoid resorting to riskier options to keep warm.

One solution is providing people with solar panels so they don't have to rely on generators, said Candice Elder, the executive director of East Oakland Collective, a community organization that helps homeless people.

"Think outside the box," she said. "How do we help folks who are living curbside with their immediate needs while we work on the long-term solutions?"

One solution is to create safe parking sites, which city leaders endorse. Oakland opened its first RV safe parking program in June 2019, offering a respite for vehicle dwellers by providing a round-the-clock parking space as well as power and plumbing. Since then, the city has opened two others and has been working for two years to open a fourth near the encampment on Wood Street. No fires have been reported at any of the city-run safe RV parking sites, which host more than 100 vehicles.

"When RVs are parked in managed locations with proper utilities, they don't tend to have fire problems," Vice Mayor Rebecca Kaplan told The Chronicle.

Kaplan said she and the rest of the council have been urging the city administration to open more safe RV parking programs.

Elder said she is a big proponent of the sites.

"I think that has been one of the best solutions the city has implemented, but we just need more," she said. "We see the number of RV dwellers continues to rise."

The City Council is discussing possible locations to offer shelter options, including safe parking sites, paid for by $3.9 million of one-time funds.

"We really have to be doing better than we have been," Kaplan said at the council meeting Tuesday.

Council members presented a list of possible interventions, including tiny homes, sanctioned encampments and more parking sites. Council Member Loren Taylor said he is talking with the owner of a private lot in his district to transform it into a safe RV parking lot for those who currently park along International Boulevard.

Taylor told The Chronicle that opening a safe RV parking site would also address illegal dumping.

"It will be more contained," he said. "We can bring garbage collection to the area as well."

The need for more RV safe sites is dire, fire officials said.

Pete Stathakos, a fire inspector with the Oakland Fire Department, said fighting fires at encampments and in RVs has become more complex. On a recent April day, Stathakos pointed at a fire hydrant near the intersection of 18th and Wood streets, where one of the city's largest encampments is located with nearly 150 people in tents, RVs, vehicles and makeshift pallet homes.

"Under the code, the next hydrant should be within 500 feet on the street," he said. "But once you go off the street, there are no fire hydrants."

He drove his truck down a dirt path toward two burned-out RVs. A resident had plastered wooden pallets to the remaining parts of one of the vehicles to create a makeshift home.

When firefighters respond to RV fires at the Wood Street encampment, they have to shuttle about 500 gallons of water at a time from the fire hydrant on the street into the back area of the encampment under the freeway overpasses before sending other engines to the street to tap into the hydrant for a refill.

Often, if an RV dweller has tires, bicycles, tarps, rope or other items stacked against the vehicle, it can fuel a fire's growth to nearby vehicles or tents, Stathakos said.

"Once you have one little spark on them, it takes off," he said.

Many vehicle dwellers are well aware of the hazards and working to stay safe. Mario Zamora, a 40-year-old Oakland resident, lives in an RV on the 1200 block of 47th Avenue, less than half a mile from Owens. Zamora said he makes sure he's careful with his appliances and how long he keeps his generators running to avoid a blaze.

On April 29, an RV directly across from Zamora's caught fire and burned, and now the charred vehicle and a makeshift structure built next to it remain.

"This is terrible," Zamora said, pointing to what was left.

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