The safety clean up of Anita Place Tent City went so well Tuesday, fire and city crews continued the exercise on Wednesday.
Maple Ridge Fire and Rescue led the effort after getting authorization from the Office of the B.C. Fire Commissioner, to issue a provincial fire order to make safety improvements at the camp.
“Without doubt it was the most successful cleanup,” said fire chief Howard Exner.
“Mostly due to the cooperation we have received from the campers,” he added.
Bylaws, firefighters and parks staff hauled out car batteries that were used as power sources, as well as lumber, propane cylinders and garbage.
Exner said earlier that, as winter approaches, there are more tents and more shanty-type buildings at the camp on 223 Street, adding to the fire danger.
One section of the tent city was empty after residents moved out.
Exner pointed out that power extension cords cannot be used outside, nor strung together, nor buried. The fire department has asked that only one location in the camp be used for cooking and doesn’t want propane stoves used in tents or individual campsites.
Maple Ridge chief administrator Paul Gill said in a release Tuesday that if compliance to the fire order isn’t achieved at the camp, the city will seek a court order to enforce safety issues.
Listen Chen, with the Alliance Against Displacement, said that warning of a possible injunction doesn’t come as a surprise.
The city has provided a narrow scope of assistance to the camp, she added.
“There’s a wide field of things that need to be done to protect people for the winter ahead.”
And when the 55 modular homes open on Royal Crescent in mid-October, Chen still expects the tent city to remain.
“There’s no way there’s going to be enough housing for everybody to decamp into homes.”
And if the city clears out the camp, there will just be more people on the street, she added.
But the camp is looking cleaner now. A lot of the garbage caused by the Sept. 14 flash flood has been removed in the cleanup.
About 60 mm of rain and hail fell on to downtown Maple Ridge that day in about an hour.
Following that storm, B.C. Housing provided another 34 tents and 57 sleeping bags and comforters to the campers.
A variety of clothing items and additional sleeping gear have been provided as well, said Andrea Coutts, with B.C. Housing.
“B.C. Housing and our non-profit partners continue to engage with the campers on daily basis to assess and respond to their needs.”
