A fire that lit up a wooded area near Dunkin Donuts on Mahan Drive Wednesday morning was started by a homeless person trying to keep warm. Temperatures this week have dropped below freezing, while social service groups have opened emergency shelters across the area.
“Basically, the fire started off a mishap," said Deon Cox, a street outreach specialist with Tallahassee’s Kearney Center, an emergency shelter. "I would say that she was probably apprehending something else at the time, and the fire just got out of hand at the moment, and she couldn’t contain the fire.”
Cox met the woman on Tuesday at the encampment behind a row of shops. The wooded area where the fire occurred is directly behind Joe Doughty’s truck and tire accessories shop.
“They started the fire yesterday, from being cold, I’m assuming, and it just got out of hand," said Doughty. "We came in this morning and it was bellowing. The whole woods back there is on fire. There’s live ammo. [There’s live ammo back there?] There’s live ammo back there. That’s what the firefighters just said.”
The fire blazed barely a week after new legislation went into effect, allowing local governments to be sued for letting unhoused people sleep on public property. No one was badly hurt in the fire, but local welfare officials told WFSU the person who started the fire had been warned away from the area the day before.
Doughty is fed up. He says he’s been dealing with people from the encampment for three years.
“We’ve got these guys and girls defecating on the sidewalks out here," he said. "I don’t know if they vandalized a jeep of mine or not, but since that happened about eight months ago, I’ve got cameras all over. I’ve got like 16 cameras now. It’s a problem, it’s been a problem, and it’ll continue to be a problem until somebody takes action and does something about it.”
Business owner Brooke Mariscal has more mixed feelings. She’s the manager of a nearby thrift store, Oak Tree Treasures, which is opening just this week.
“I think our city, our town, our government…locally…federally need to do better providing resources," Mariscal said. "I think people making the decisions are very privileged and don’t realize that people fall on hard times. Normal people are a paycheck or two away from this.”
At first, Mariscal and her colleagues would leave blankets and pillows for their neighbors – until the Leon County Sheriff’s outreach team asked them not to – explaining that those items would end up fueling a fire. As they did in this case.
She also says people at the encampment can be inconsiderate.
“And the same goes with Dunkin. They dig through the trash and everybody’s cool with that," she said. "Get your food, whatever. But then they throw trash all over the parking lot. Not everybody – I don’t want to do a blanket statement. But that, I think, is where the frustration lies. It’s like it’s one thing to sleep; it’s another to not be respectful of the area and the public.”
From the Kearney Center’s standpoint, it’s not as if they haven’t been trying to bring people in from the woods and off the streets. Carla Weaver is a street outreach specialist and case manager.
“We try to build a rapport first, and build a trust system, and let them know that we’re there for them," Weaver said. "Sometimes we just come with food and provide for their basic needs. We’ve come to find that once we build that trust, it makes it a little easier for them to come into the shelter.”
According to federal data, homelessness increased across the country by 18 percent last year. Florida saw a 2 percent rise, while Leon County saw a 5 percent hike.
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A fire that lit up a wooded area near Dunkin Donuts on Mahan Drive Wednesday morning was started by a homeless person trying to keep warm. Temperatures this week have plummeted to freezing while social service groups have opened up emergency shelters across the area. ORIGINAL STORY
The situation comes as local governments can now be sued for allowing unhoused people to sleep on public property. No one was significantly hurt in the fire, but Tallahassee welfare officials told WFSU the person who started the fire had been warned away from the area a day prior. Nearby business owner Brooke Mariscal of Big Bend Hospice says she feels conflicted about the new law.
It's gray, it’s not black-and-white to me," said Mariscal, explaining how she feels empathy for people who are homeless, while also speaking with responding firefighters who expressed to her their support for the law because of a belief in holding the government accountable and forcing action.
"And now I’m experiencing it more than I ever have because now, we have an encampment back here.”
Big Bend Hospice is opening a thrift store in the neighboring plaza.
Joe Doughtey owns a truck and tire accessories shop. The wooded area where the fire occurred is directly behind his store. He says he's encountered homeless residents at his business and has grown frustrated.
“It’s been a problem. We’ve got these guys and girls defecating on the sidewalk out here, I don’t know if they vandalized a jeep of mine but since that happened I’ve got cameras all over. It’s a problem, [and] it’ll continue to be a problem until somebody takes action and does something about it," he said, noting the situation has been going on for about three years.
According to federal data, homelessness increased across the U.S. by 18% last year. Florida saw a 2% rise, while Leon County saw a 5% hike.
