The lone occupant of a tent shelter at the east end of the Moccasin Flats encampment narrowly escaped before fire destroyed the structure Tuesday morning.
A witness at the scene said a man was sleeping next to a wood pile at the time the fire started and was roused from his sleep by neighbouring residents of an adjacent trailer.
Prince George Fire Rescue was dispatched to the scene at about 9:20 a.m. Tuesday and three firefighters quickly doused the flames that had spread quickly, fed by the plastic tarp covering and wood used to make the enclosure.
The man whose possessions were burning got close to the flames trying to rescue what he could while waiting for the fire crew to arrive.
There were no injuries.
It was the second fire in several days at Moccasin Flats.
“The first thing on my mind is safety and I hope that nobody’s in these tents when they catch fire, if they catch fire,” said PGFR deputy chief Clay Sheen.
As the weather gets colder and more people in the camp rely on wood fires and propane tanks for heating, the fire hazard increases and Sheen worries for the safety of the occupants.
“I’d like to see things follow the B.C. Fire Code and building codes because those are put in place to make people’s lives safer,” said Sheen.
