Fall River fire destroys homeless encampment as FRFD battle heat

A Fall River fire has destroyed a homeless encampment Tuesday.

At approximately 10:00 a.m., a call came into dispatch for a brush fire with heavy smoke near Weavers Cove and 1 New Street.

According to Active Fire Chief Matt Johnson, the fire was difficult to get to as there was a fence and steep hill to navigate by way of Route 79.

In addition to navigating the difficult location of the blaze, firefighters had to deal with a heat index near 120 degrees not taking into account the heat caused by the fire itself.

The Fall River Fire Department was on the scene for approximately one hour, but the fire itself took in the vicinity of 15 minutes to extinguish.

Johnson stated that when personnel arrived to where the actual flames were located, it was discovered that a 20 foot x 20 foot homeless encampment had already burned to the ground.

The occupants of the encampment were not on scene, according to Johnson.

The cause of the fire has yet to be determined and is under investigation.