Officials seize propane tanks from Maple Ridge homeless camp

Fire department officials and bylaw officersfrom theCity of Maple Ridge entered the AnitaPlace homeless camp over the weekend to seize items they saypose a fire and safety hazard to residents.

Accompanied by RCMP officers and private security guards, they inspectedall of the tents and other structuresand removed dozens ofitems including propane tanks, patio heaters, propane barbecues, and gas-powered generators, angering residents who rely on themfor warmth.

Listen Chen,a community organizer,said the seizure left camp residents out in the cold.

"It's going to be below zero degrees [Saturday night]," said Chen."People are going to be freezing with no alternative."

Fire and safety hazards

AnitaPlace was established by homeless people and their supporters in May 2017 to protest the closure of a 40-bed shelter in Maple Ridge. Since then, residents of the camp and their lawyers have fought off two attempts by the City of Maple Ridge to evict them in the courts.

Resident have set up tents and makeshift homes and brought in propane-powered implements for heating andcooking. The city says those items representa fire hazard.

In a news release, the city said it asked BC Hydro on Friday to turn off power to a modular trailer containing bathroom facilities and a communal warming tentafter it foundthe electrical control panel was exposed to the elements and that it had been tampered with.

The city said camp residents had been warned numerous times that this posed arisk of electrocution. Fire officials also found an80-pound propane tankrigged to refill smaller 20-pound tanks, posing"an extreme fire hazard."

Legal battle

The city obtained a court injunction on Feb. 8 in which B.C. Supreme Court Judge J. Christopher Grauerrecognized therisks at the camp, including tents pitched close together, dangerous electrical wiring, and the presence of propane and gasoline near open flames.

Chen saidthe city was trying to drive people out of the camp by making it unlivable.