City safety officials are working with state agencies to determine the best way to address recent fires under one highway bridge and along Big Wheeling Creek behind the Boury Lofts in downtown Wheeling.
Wheeling Fire Chief Larry Helms confirmed on The Watchdog (98.1 FM WKKX and 97.7 FM WVLY) Monday that two fire investigations are ongoing because it is possible the incidents involved retaliatory actions on the part of some of the city’s homeless population.
“We have had some fires under some of the bridges and in the tent cities,” Helms confirmed. “Sometimes when you are investigating these kids of fires, it’s hard to pinpoint what exactly has started them. Right now, we have two ongoing investigations where we are not really sure what started them, but there is a chance at least one of them could have been retaliatory because of disputes that have taken place among some of those folks.
“With one of them, we at least suspect that because of information we’ve collected from some people,” the fire chief explained. “We’re still looking into it, and we continue to question people about them because, in these kinds of temperatures, a fire in the areas where these tent cities are could end up being a very bad situation.”
Tricky Terrain
These fires do not represent the first time when safety public officials in Wheeling have expressed concern that pertains to the plethora of encampments that are located along Big Wheeling Creek and the Ohio River.
In late April, Wheeling Police Chief Shawn Schwertfeger revealed his officer discovered a booby
trap along the path to a tent city near Rock Point Road. The encampment was removed after city officials informed residents and the local organization that work with them.
Are the Friendly City’s firefighters at risk, as well?
“Our firefighters have not gone through a formal training on boobytraps, but we have been alerted by the Wheeling Police Department that there’s the potential for that because of what their officers have experienced in the past at an encampment that has since been removed by the city,” Helms said. “We’ve not encountered any boobytraps, but we are watching out for them when we respond for whatever reason.
“Because we never know what we will encounter when going into those areas, we have told them to watch over the areas that are covered with leaves because it could be a pit, and we’ve told them to watch for trip wires, too,” he said. “When we respond, we get as close as we can because access is not very good along that creek bank. That’s when we start hiking to the place where the emergency is taking place.”
Those treks, especially at night, can present a completely outfitted firefighter tricky terrain.
“When we fight these fires, because of the location, we don’t have a water source other than what we carry in our trucks,” Helms said. “Most of the time, the water in the truck is enough to extinguish the fire, but if one these spreads in a brush fire, we could be in trouble. We’re approaching a second stretch of very hot and dry weather in the month of July alone, so that’s a big concern.
“Plus, these fires are not along a street, and anytime a firefighter leaves the street he or she is in more danger because of the terrain,” he continued. “Most injuries to firefighters involve falls, sprains and strains, and these tent cities are dangerous areas for people wearing all of their equipment. The rocks and the overgrowth mean there are trip hazards,and someone could get hurt very badly. Fortunately, we haven’t had that take place, but it is more prevalent in those areas.”
Considering Options
Wheeling firefighters respond to 911 calls to the tent city areas on occasion for fires, yes, but also for domestic violence, assault, and for reported overdoses.
But, while the city’s EMTs report to daily ODs in all areas of Wheeling, the blazes in these wooded areas and under state bridges are most concerning.
“Most of the time, we can prove the fires are accidental, and when we respond to extinguish, we usually let them know what they need to do if they need to have a fire for either warmth, for cooking, or to light up the area where they have set up their tents,” Helms said. “It’s troubling to me because, let’s face it, when you are living in those conditions you don’t have much security and can be very unsafe.
“It’s a potential hazard, too,” he said. “It’s concerning to me because of the proximity of those camps and to the bridges, they could potentially cause a lot of damage to those wooded areas, and to the bridges, too.”
That is why the fire department is altering its methods of recording emergency calls with two goals in mind.
“It’s been tough to track the incidents we’ve had because there’s not an address attached to any of them,” Helms explained. “So, we are addressing that so we can collect better data, and so we can locate them more effectively in the future.
“Whether or not the city and the state should take action so these fires no longer take place is something that is being discussed right now,” Helms said. “I would hate to put someone that’s in a bad situation into a worse situation, but we as public safety officials have to look at this. We have to consider the options.”
Fire Prevention
Now that the leaves are on the trees throughout the Upper Ohio Valley, it is more difficult to spot the encampments along W.Va. Route 2 and Interstate 70, unless, of course, a camp fire is producing smoke.
“We frequently get calls from people passing by along the highway because they see smoke coming out of those wooded area, and at this time of year you can’t see the tent cities so they don’t know why there would be smoke,” Helms explained. “We do respond to all of the calls we receive, and most of time what we find is that they are burning materials that they should not be burning.
“In other cases, they have built too large a fire for the area they are in, and things start catching fire around them,” he said. “We make a lot of effort to let them know what’s best to burn, and when they cooperate, there are no issues. But if not, we’re going to extinguish the fire and give them information about how to better protect themselves.”
In fact, Capt. Dave Harmon has engaged many tent city residents to educate them on what laws are in place within the city of Wheeling and the state of West Virginia and what is legal and illegal to burn.
“Most of the camps do have a fire pit, and there are a lot of the homeless living there that go about the burning responsibly, and Capt. Harmon has been going to those sites to talk to those people about fire prevention,” Helms reported. “We like to believe that it’s beneficial, and if nothing else, hopefully they know that we are reaching out to them, and we are trying to watch over them for their safety.
“One of the biggest things Capt. Harmon has explained to them is that they need to stop burning garbage. Not only is that against the city’s ordinance, but it’s also very dangerous for them and to the environment,” he said. “And they are also instructing them to move their fire pits from under the bridges. In most cases, they are doing what we are asking, but it’s obvious to everyone now that it’s not the case with all of them.”
