SAN DIEGO COUNTY, Calif. — San Diego Fire Department officials say it is not a new issue, but it is a growing issue with homeless squatting in abandoned buildings and causing fires.
Firefighters used tools to ventilate a roof of an abandoned home that caught fire on Sunday night in Barrio Logan.
Crews said two squatters ran out of the home, but one man was still inside in the back, who was shown walking outside the home with a police escort and a towel on his head.
"We are not calling it arson, it is more like they were squatters trying to utilize the house, they probably had an accidental cooking fire,” said San Diego Fire Battalion Chief Chuck Adams.
Adams says fire crews have responded to the two abandoned structures in Barrio Logan that caught fire multiple times before within the last year.
It's something SDFD Chief Dave Gerboth says has been a nuisance for firefighters across San Diego.
"Throughout many districts downtown and the East Village, up into Golden Hill and throughout downtown itself, we are definitely seeing quite a few of those buildings,” said Gerboth.
Gerboth says the department has dealt with a higher incidence of abandoned building fires during the pandemic from residential and commercial structures.
“Not just during the winter but just throughout the year, we have certainly have seen increased activity in the past two years,” said Gerboth.
Fire crews have the labor-intensive task of removing the boards before even fighting the fire.
“That was the biggest challenge to do manual labor just to get all of the boards, all of the plywood off...The windows and doorways just to gain access,” said Adams.
In Little Italy, the former Vulcan Steam Room bathhouse on Cedar Street has had squatters break in despite the high fencing and the locks on building.
It's also right next door to San Diego Fire Station #2.
“There's a potential there for not only life safety, but it could spread to a fire station, so we work closely with our community risk reduction, the police department and the property owner,” said Gerboth.
Gerboth says it's a high priority to connect the homeless with resources, and crews utilize the city’s homeless outreach team.
Firefighters say if you see anything suspicious at an abandoned building, contact the city via its Get It Done App, or City Code Enforcement to report it.
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