Crews respond to fire at Barrie encampment site

A fire truck in Barrie, Ont. (File Image/CTV News)

Fire crews responded to a fire at one of the Barrie encampment sites Saturday afternoon.

Barrie’s deputy fire chief told CTV News that a ten-by-ten wooden structure was on fire, and two trucks were involved in the response.

He added that the structure may have been used as a makeshift heating device.

At the same time, no people were observed in the area at the time of the fire.

It has been almost two months since the City of Barrie announced a state of emergency to address encampments and homelessness.

At the beginning of October, the city reported that four major encampments had been dismantled, including Dyment’s Creek, Mulcaster Street, Sam Cancilla Park, and Bradford Street. At the time, there were still 26 active encampments with roughly 111 people residing in them.

On Sunday, the city confirmed to CTV News that the Milligan’s Pond site had not been dismantled yet.

With files from CTV’s Luke Simard and Kim Phillips.