FRESNO (KMJ) — Figures from Fresno Fire Department show a rise in the number of blazes attributed to homeless people in the City of Fresno, and a local non-profit says the recently enacted No Camping Ordinance is to blame.
Statistics from Fresno Fire Department show 79 vacant structure fires in 2016, 85 in 2017, and 100 in 2018. The number of non-structure fires was 133 in 2016, 182 in 2017, and 529 in 2018. Fire officials determined homeless people were responsible for those incidents.
“Putting a ban on camping outside is forcing all the street family members to find an abandoned home to sleep inside of,” said founder of Homeless in Fresno Desiree Martinez.
Martinez considers the ordinance, which came into force during the latter half of 2017, to be solely responsible for the rise (click hear to read more).
“Because of people trying to hide out and have fires going inside their tent or around their shelter area, which will cause a fire.
“I do place blame on the no camping ban order because there is more fires than than there has ever been.”
In a statement, Councilmember Steve Brandau said his ordinance specifically included making fires for camping illegal due to their danger “as evidenced by this rise.”
On Tuesday, Brandau spoke to KMJ’s Ray Appleton to dispute the correlation between the rise in fires and the no camping ordinance.
“I think it’s a bunch of hogwash,” said Brandau. “The numbers don’t support it, the Fire Chief doesn’t support it, but we have a lot of activists…and they’ve found a little hook that they believe they can blame my no camping ordinance.”
Hear the report from KMJ’s Dominic McAndrew as it aired:
