OCEANSIDE, Calif. — A fire at a nature preserve caused billowing smoke that clouded Oceanside on Sunday.
It even prompted road closures along College Blvd and evacuations at Town Center North.
Fire crews were able to knock down the flames, but this has sparked concern from neighbors who have witnessed people camping at the preserve.
“Everybody was standing outside, looking at it and saying dang what the heck,” said Johnny Norward, a local who watched first responders tackle the fire.
“They’re doing their little eating and drinking and sleeping and stuff. I assumed someone got kind of carried away,” said Norward.
Residents told CBS 8 that encampments have been growing, and they are worried another possible fire can ignite, especially as temperatures heat up.
“There’s a lot of homeless encampments back there,” said Thomas Hartley, who lives nearby and witnessed smoke on Sunday.
CBS 8 went to the preserve and noticed burnt debris and branches, it also noticed shopping carts and even propane tanks at the preserve.
On Sunday Oceanside Fire Department Battalion Chief Blake Dorse says they detained one person and questioned them about the fire but released them later.
“A large population of homeless that have been entrenched down there for quite some time, obviously we see these types of fires frequently, they just generally don’t get this big,” he said.
The nature preserve is not owned by the city, it has a tribal conservator.
Fire crews will continue to monitor the area for possible hotspots.
WATCH RELATED: Brush fire in Oceanside prompts evacuations, freeway closures (July 2023).