Homeless encampment catches fire near train tracks at Fifth Street in Wenatchee

WENATCHEE — Just before 1:30 p.m. on Friday, April 11, according to Battalion Chief Jordan Givens, the tent of an unhoused person living near the train viaduct at Fifth and Piere in Wenatchee caught fire.

It quickly spread into a small brush fire before crews were dispatched to extinguish the blaze. Traffic was briefly blocked with emergency vehicles on Fifth Street as responders put out the fire.

No other structures appeared to be damaged, as the fire was mostly contained within an area surrounded by fencing due to construction on both sides.

The fire was put out before 2 p.m. The scene was almost completely clear by 2:45 p.m., with only a single police cruiser parked on Fifth and an officer carrying bags of debris to a trailer for removal. 

Andrew Simpson: 509-433-7626 or andrew@ward.media