No serious injuries were reported following a fire at a tent encampment on Wolfe Street in Peterborough on the weekend.
According to the City of Peterborough, Peterborough Fire Services on Sunday responded to reports of a tent fire on Wolfe Street, east of Aylmer Street. Over the past month, a number of people experiencing homelessness have been sleeping in tents pitched across from the city’s emergency overflow shelter.
The city says firefighters found a campfire under a “tarped enclosure.”
“While extinguishing the campfire, firefighters witnessed a tent, with a person inside, begin to ignite,” the city stated.
Firefighters, with the assistance of another individual, were able to alert the occupant of the tent and help the individual get out.
The fire was extinguished and paramedics assessed one person at the scene.
According to the city, over the last four weeks, firefighters have responded to fires at the Wolfe Street “tenting site” eight times.
The city notes tenting and open-air burning are prohibited on city property except where permitted in Beavermead Campground.
“In the winter, health and safety concerns are heightened with exposure to extreme cold and the increased risk of fire and carbon monoxide poisoning from unsafe heating sources,” the city said.