Emergency crews extinguish large fire at Coquitlam homeless encampment

A man escaped without injuries after his tent went up in flames at a homeless encampment in Coquitlam Saturday afternoon, according to Coquitlam Fire & Rescue.

Deputy Chief Scott Young tells CityNews there were three tents at that site, but only one was damaged.

A witness tells CityNews it was a large blaze at the site, which is located at Highway 1 and United Boulevard.

The fire is now out, and there have been no injuries, Young says, explaining it was caused by a lit candle.

Fire services have been warning that with low temperatures, risks of inhabiting tents increases as campers try to stay warm with candles and propane tanks.

“They’ll use whatever they can, sometimes it’s campstoves or propane devices,” Young said. “But we’re encouraging people not to use those devices in tents because the carbon monoxide is a big risk to them.”

With files from Renee Bernard.