Fredericton’s police chief says tent sites set up by homeless people in the city will be closed in the coming days as a result of safety concerns highlighted by a fire Tuesday night.
In a statement late Wednesday, Chief Roger Brown said a fire broke out at one of the tent sites, caused by a propane heater inside a tent.
He says the wind caused the fire to spread, burning down three tents.
Brown says no one was injured but at least five people lost all their belongings.
The chief says living in the wet and cold and using unsafe heating sources creates a serious risk to the tent-dwellers and to public safety.
He says in order to minimize the risks, police will close the tent sites and encourage the residents to move to available shelter space.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 19, 2022.
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