Tent fire in Phoenix homeless encampment left 1 person with burn injuries

Multiple tents in a homeless encampment caught fire near Ninth Avenue and Jackson Street in an area known as "The Zone,"  leaving one person injured early Monday, according to the Phoenix Fire Department.

Firefighters responded to the fire around 3 a.m. and extinguished it. Initial reports indicate multiple tents were on fire, and the cause is "uncertain," according to the fire department.

One person had burn injuries and was taken to a local burn center. The extent of their injuries is unknown. No firefighters were hurt.

The fire burned two days after a fetus was found dead by burning in the middle of the street two blocks away, near Madison Street and 11th Avenue on Saturday. The Maricopa County Medical Examiner's Office took custody of the fetus pending a postmortem examination as an investigation continues, Phoenix police said.

The fire was also near the Human Services Campus on Madison Street and 12th Avenue, which provides nightly shelter to 470 individuals experiencing homelessness.

Earlier this year it was estimated that about 5,000 people in metro Phoenix were experiencing homelessness, which was 33% more than in 2020, according to a countywide count.

In August, The Republic reported at least 400 people have set up tents in the areas around the Human Services Campus.

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That, as the housing affordability crisis has deepened in Phoenix, with spiraling rents pricing out many people out of homes, and eviction filings at a 14-year high.

The surrounding businesses and neighborhoods — in a predominantly working-class area — believe they've shouldered most of the burden of caring for people experiencing homelessness in Maricopa County. That burden includes an increase in blight and crime in the area surrounding the campus, they say.

In August, 15 Phoenix residents who own homes, businesses and land between between Seventh and 15th avenues and between Van Buren and Grant streets, filed a lawsuit against the city over a homeless encampment in the area.

They say the encampment has subjected them to violence and damaged property and has littered their area with trash and human waste. The residents also claim the city has enacted policies that "concentrate" people experiencing homelessness in this area by transporting them there from other places.

City spokesperson Dan Wilson said the city "is committed to addressing the needs of all residents and property owners as we work with local and regional partners to address the complex issues surrounding those experiencing homelessness."

In February 2021, the Phoenix City Council approved 475 new beds at Central Arizona Shelter Services but refused the use of a vacant building for shelter that some had hoped could have offered more expansive care.

U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland announced in August 2021 the DOJ had opened an investigation into the Phoenix Police Department, including a review of whether officers violate the rights of people experiencing homelessness when they dispose of their belongings during sweeps of encampments.

Metro Phoenix recorded record high eviction levels in August.

Evictions were filed against 6,405 renters in Maricopa County in July. It's the highest tally since October 2008, when there were 6,975 filings tracked by the courts, said Scott Davis, Maricopa County Justice Courts spokesperson.

Republic reporters Taylor Seely, Jessica Boehm, Jose Gonzalez and Catherine Reagor contributed to this report. 

Reach breaking news reporter Angela Cordoba Perez at Angela.CordobaPerez@Gannett.com or on Twitter @AngelaCordobaP.

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Tent fire in Phoenix homeless encampment left 1 person with injuries