Fire Damages Homeless Dwelling In Bel Air
Fire officials believe two people were living in the tent.
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A camping tent was damaged Saturday when an open flame heater set fire to flammable material inside the shelter.
Fire officials believe two men were living in the tent at the time of the fire.
Around 3:54 p.m. Saturday, fire crews were called to a wooded area near the intersection of Atwood Road and Marketplace Drive, not far from Target after the occupants of a tent in the area discovered the shelter was aflame, according to a release from the Maryland State Fire Marshal's Office.
Five firefighters from the Bel Air Volunteer Fire Company controlled the fire in the fabric tent within 15 minutes, the release states.
The fire caused about $30 damage to the tent and about $30 damage to what was inside it. No injuries were reported.
Investigators believe the fire started accidentally when an open flame heating device set fire to flammables nearby.
Deputy State Fire Marshals believe the two occupants of the tent were living there. Harford County recently conducted a one-day count that showed 166 people living homeless in the county.
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In This article
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Target
580 Marketplace Dr, Bel Air, MD -
Bel Air Volunteer Fire Co
109 S Hickory Ave, Bel Air, MD -
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RW Willy
6:27 pm on Monday, February 11, 2013
A homeless dwelling? Really, it was a tent.
And it shouldn't be there. I can't go camping in Bel Air, why can the homeless?
So the cops see a tent and leave it alone? Terrible policy. IMO remove it and run'em out. What about sanitation issues? What about safety?
I can't build a shed without paying the county. But a vagrant can prop up a couple of stolen pallets and cover it with a tarp and live there?