Fire Officials Find No Indication Recent Homeless Camp Fires Were Arsons

Firefighters clean up an April 7 blaze at a SE Portland tent camp.

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Portland firefighters now say there's no proof that a rash of fires at homeless camps over the past two months were set intentionally—a possibility investigators had been looking into.

After poring over records from fire calls to figure out which originated at the city's increasingly controversial campsites, Portland Fire and Rescue officials say it appears there have been nine "homeless tent fires" since February, according to PF&R spokesperson Lt. Rich Tyler.

"The cause is listed as undetermined on eight of the nine fires," Tyler tells the Mercury. "The cause of the ninth fire is listed as misuse of heat. None of the fires are listed as arson."

While he made clear the number of fires at camps might change, Tyler says the causes of the fires won't. Officials simply can't determine what began most of the conflagrations.

The possibility of arson was raised in investigators' minds as fires popped up more and more in recent weeks. One day last week, there were two blazes at the same NW Portland camp.

That followed a fairly large fire earlier this month near the east end of the Hawthorne Bridge.

"One of two things is happening," Portland Fire Lt. Rich Chatman told the Mercury earlier this week. "More fires because there are more camps" is one possibility, he said. But "if this is disproportionate and [investigators] started to see some consistent details for how fires are starting, or lack thereof, then they start thinking there’s a possibility this is arson."

The fires have become a rallying cry for foes of Mayor Charlie Hales' recent decision to permit tent camping in certain instances, as the city grapples with a housing affordability crisis that's helping feed a growing homeless population. The new policies spurred a lawsuit from business owners and neighborhood associations last week.