Fire at encampment near Atwater Tunnel raises safety concerns

A fire tore through part of a homeless encampment near Montreal’s Atwater Tunnel Tuesday night, leaving tents, belongings and debris charred at a site where nearby residents say they have repeatedly raised concerns about fire safety.

The city’s fire department confirmed it responded to a medium-size garbage fire at the encampment and said there were no injuries or deaths. An area resident said she called 911 at about 10:45 p.m. after seeing flames from her backyard.

“There were several explosions,” Sarah El Queisi said. “You could hear them — bang, bang, bang.”

She said she thought the explosions may have involved propane tanks, which she added she has seen around the encampment.

Video provided by El Queisi to The Gazette shows flames rising from the site as emergency crews responded.

When The Gazette visited Wednesday, nobody was at the encampment. A section of the site was blackened, with burned belongings and debris scattered through the area and a garbage bin scorched and warped by the heat.

“It was huge,” El Queisi said. “It was terrifying.”

She said the encampment has grown considerably over the past two years.

“We’ve been telling the city over and over, and over, that there’s a real fire risk here.”

In March, she said, she filed a 311 complaint raising concerns about conditions at the site.

El Queisi said she was later told a large cleanup would take place in the spring because crews responsible for the work were assigned to snow removal during the winter.

Residents also met with Sud-Ouest borough mayor Véronique Fournier about two months ago, she added.

“I took her on a little walk around the encampment to show her exactly what I was talking about,” she said.

“They’re not cleaning it. They’re not making sure that it’s fire safe.”

Another fire broke out at the encampment last October, and burned material remained at the site for months afterward.

El Queisi said people living at the encampment need more support from authorities.

“They’re people who need help. They don’t need to be left with a hands-off approach.”

But she said Tuesday’s fire reinforced her concerns about conditions at the site, adding she’s worried “there’s going to be a major tragedy very soon.”

The Gazette contacted the City of Montreal and the Sud-Ouest borough, but did not receive a response by publication time.

I’m a reporter at the Montreal Gazette, covering breaking news and the issues affecting communities across Montreal. I believe some of the most interesting stories begin with an ordinary conversation.

amclaughlin@postmedia.com