‘We need serious help’: Fire at Halifax homeless encampment draws attention to growing crisis

A tent was damaged and a man received minor injuries after a fire broke out at a Halifax homeless encampment Monday morning.

Dennis Pitts, a district chief with Halifax Regional Fire and Emergency, said crews responded to the fire at Grand Parade shortly after 6:30 a.m.

Crews found the fire had impinged on one tent, Pitts said.

“The fire was actually in a seating area that had been set up,” he said. “A propane fire bowl was there, and the chairs were on fire.”

There were also two 20-pound propane tanks, which were venting gas to relieve pressure inside of the tank.

One person had a “minor burn injury” on their hand and was treated on scene by fire crews.

“The fire was quickly brought under control, and the cause has not been determined yet,” he said, adding that the fire department is working with police to determine the cause of the fire.

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This isn’t the first fire that broke out in Grand Parade. In December, three people managed to narrowly escape a blaze that broke out in a tent in Grand Parade.

As the number of unhoused people continues to rise, the fires highlight the dangers of living outside during the coldest months of the year. Earlier this month, in neighbouring New Brunswick, a man was killed after a fire broke out at a tent encampment in Saint John.

“You have to remain fire-safe and vigilant at this time of year,” Pitts said. “Obviously, it’s cold, but you also have to be very careful with using heating appliances.”

In a statement, Halifax Regional Municipality said a temporary emergency shelter is opening at the multi-purpose centre of the Halifax Forum on Mondayat 4 p.m., and outreach staff will “continue to speak to members of the homeless community to ensure they are aware of this option.”

“These indoor facilities have much needed supports and meet basic human needs like a warm space, electricity, running water, showers, laundry services, regular meals and a place to store belongings,” the statement said.

‘Stop sending people to Grand Parade’

Matthew Grant, a community member who helps to support the people living at Grand Parade, said he heard from security staff that while there were no explosions, there was “a lot of hissing” coming from the propane tanks during the fire.

He said the person who was injured managed to escape by climbing out of the hole that was burned through his tent.

“He is now resting on-site,” he said. “He did not want to go to the hospital, so he remains here.”

Grant expressed frustration with the homelessness situation in the city. He said in the last week alone, three more people arrived to stay at Grand Parade, two of whom were just discharged from hospital and had nowhere else to go.

“We need help here. Please stop sending people to Grand Parade square,” he said. “We need serious help.”

In a statement, Nova Scotia Health confirmed that they regularly have on-hand sleeping bags and tents to give to discharged patients when shelters are full and they have nowhere else to go.

“The emergency department staff works together with Mobile Outreach Street Health (MOSH) to provide accessible primary health care services to people who are experiencing homelessness, insecurely housed, street involved and underserved in our community,” said spokesperson Jennifer Lewandowski.

‘The worst it’s ever been’

Patrick Maubert, the program and outreach coordinator at Brunswick Street Mission, said the “sheer volume” of people living rough has grown exponentially in the last few years, and organizations are being stretched thin.

“I’ve been working in the community off and on for over five years. This is certainly the worst it’s ever been,” he said.

“Five years ago, it would be unthinkable to offer someone a tent in the winter time. But here in 2024, that’s actually a better case scenario than the alternative of having truly nowhere to go.”

The fact that some people are being discharged from the hospital director to the street shows the “scary reality” of both the housing and health-care situation in the province.

“Everyone is doing the best that they can with what they have, but certainly the province needs to step in and support more to help carry this burden, this load that all of these organizations are carrying on their own,” he said.

With many shelters consistently at capacity, groups like Shelter Nova Scotia are having to adapt their programming. They recently created a new team dedicated strictly to working with people who are sleeping outside.

“The idea is that we’re kind of proactively going out and figuring out who is outside and what supports do they need to move from outside to inside,” said Melissa Puddicombe, practice and development director of Shelter Nova Scotia.

Working with shelters, outreach workers hope to connect those living rough with beds when they become available.

But everyone agrees: the long-term solution lies in creating more affordable housing.

“Shelters are great, but they are truly just a Band-Aid solution,” said Maubert. “We need to see more robust housing options.”

— with files from Megan King