Orillia homeless encampment goes up in flames

Orillia fire crews spent Thursday evening battling a blaze at a homeless encampment in the city's east end.

The calls for the fire came in shortly before 8 p.m. When crews arrived, the fire was well above the tree line.

The encampment was located in the bushes, with two occupants said to be using it.

Deputy Fire Chief Chris Ferry said the tent was a make-shift structure made of tarps and skids.

There was a heating and cooking appliance found in the tent structure.

"All their personal belongings were inside the tent structure, and everything was lost in the fire," said Ferry.

According to Ferry, one of the occupants left before crews could do a wellness check.

The other was checked out on-scene by paramedics but refused to be hospitalized.

Both were believed to have left the scene and gone to the warming center open overnight.

Fire crews used a drone to survey the area to ensure that nobody else was hiding in the bushes after the fire.

"The crew had to drag a hose through the snow and into the bush to extinguish the fire," said Ferry

While the exact cause is unknown, Ferry said he was concerned about the heating and cooking materials inside a tent.

"If people are living in a tent-style structure in the bush over the winter, please try to keep all your heating and your cooking material at least outside and away from the tents because they can catch fire really quickly," Ferry said.