Fire struck Anita Place Tent City for a second time within 24 hours, late Wednesday.
This time it struck on the west side of the camp, at about 10 p.m.
The tent was located next to the fence at the back entrance of the camp, said tent city advocate Chris Bossley.
Earlier in the afternoon, another fire broke out at the main entrance to the camp on 223rd Street in downtown Maple Ridge.
Residents in the area reported hearing “multiple” explosions around 2:20 p.m. Some witnesses said they heard three or four explosions. Flames shot higher than nearby tents and a tall tree was ignited.
Bossley said by the time she arrived following the night fire, the fire was extinguished and members of the Maple Ridge Fire Rescue were going over the charred remains of the tent.
Photos from the Facebook group for the site showed remnants of a burned out tent. It’s not known if there were any injuries.
Wednesday’s fires are the seventh and eighth at the homeless camp since its inception in May 2017, during one of which a woman was seriously injured.
More to follow.
