VIDEO: Hope fire crews attend 2 separate encampment fires in 1 morning
Published 4:00 pm Thursday, September 24, 2026
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The Hope Fire Department extinguished two separate fires at homeless encampments on the morning of Sept. 24.
A fire broke out at the small encampment along Water Avenue, the portion of Highway 1 that cuts through town. The encampment is located on a thin, steep slice of land wedged in between the highway and the Fraser River and has been there for several years.
Aerial video of the fire captured by a Hope resident showed the extent of the flames as they moved through the trees.
“Looks like one of the camps on fire,” Richard Chuckry said.
The Hope Fire Department confirmed that they were on scene at the encampment at 7:15 a.m.
“Tents, tarps, refuse, and nearby trees were burning on arrival,” they said in a press release. “Four apparatus and six firefighters knocked down the fire.”
There were no injuries, and the cause remains under investigation.
It was the second call of the day for the department. At 6:15 a.m., five members on two engines extinguished a fire burning in the root ball of a downed tree at the mouth of the Coquihalla River. No injuries were reported in that event either, and the cause is under investigation.
And then, at 10 a.m., Hope firefighters were paged to a reported outbuilding fire near Exit 173 on Hwy. 3.
They report that when 10 firefighters on three apparatus arrived on scene, they discovered a fully involved temporary structure. The fire extended into the surrounding area, and a 10×20 metre area of garbage burning within an encampment.
“Bystanders were attempting to slow the spread,” they said, and crews quickly contained and extinguished the fire.
Two patients were treated for smoke inhalation, and one sustained additional burn injuries. BCEHS and RCMP were also on scene and the cause remains under investigation.
These responses bring Hope Fire to over 700 calls so far this year.