Encampment Cooking Fire May Be Cause Of Oceanside Brush Fire

OCEANSIDE, CA — A 1-acre brush fire in the Loma Alta Creek area caused by a cooking fire in a homeless encampment was extinguished by firefighters, a fire department battalion chief said Monday.

Oceanside Fire Department units responded to a brush fire between Oceanside Boulevard and Wooster Drive at 9:02 p.m. Sunday, according to Battalion Chief Blake Dorse.

"The fire appears to have been started by an uncontained cooking fire in one of the many known homeless encampments in the area," Dorse said. "The fire burned in heavy brush and trees and reached approximately 1 acre in size before fire department units were able to contain it."

The suppression and mop-up efforts lasted about 2.5 hours, he said.

The fire department encourages residents to notify 911 immediately of any sign of fire coming from any areas of brush, including areas with homeless encampments.

"The use of fire is common in homeless encampments throughout the city and continues to pose a serious threat," Dorse said.

City News Service