Crews respond to fire at encampment on Victoria St. (update)
Posted Oct 11, 2022 01:50:00 PM.
Regional police and the Kitchener Fire Department responded to several reports of a fire in the area of Victoria Street North and Weber Street West in Kitchener, just before 10 a.m. Tuesday.
Photos sent to CityNews 570 showed a significant amount of smoke coming from the homeless encampment in the area.
An official with the Kitchener Fire Department tells us there were some wooden structures damaged at the rear of the encampment, but they are still assessing the damage.
No one was injured, and the cause of the fire is still being investigated.
Dean Daly, who moved into the encampment last week said it was his friend's tent that caught on fire.
“He's safe over at the soup kitchen. He's in a shock and trauma stage. He doesn't want to speak to no one,” he said.
Daly told CityNews 570, his friend started the fire to keep warm during the night.
“Problems happening and we don't have no house to go to because they threw us out of our home,” he said.
Daly said his friend will try to rebuild.
“We're going to help him clean it up and put a next tent there,” he added.
Police had to close Victoria between Weber and Duke Street. It reopened around 11 a.m. Tuesday.
Emergency crews are responding to reports of a fire near Victoria and Weber in Kitchener.
A *401 caller told @CityNewsKIT @570CityNews there was thick black smoke.
Victoria St in front of the encampment is blocked off. pic.twitter.com/rvwr5Zjhgu
— Germain Ma (@GermainMa1) October 11, 2022
Waterloo Regional Police and Kitchener Fire Department are responding to several reports of a fire in the area of Victoria Street North and Weber Street West in Kitchener.
Victoria Street is closed between Weber and Duke Streets.
Please avoid the area. More to follow. pic.twitter.com/rVdC0AdyWl
— Waterloo Regional Police (@WRPSToday) October 11, 2022
