Homeless Encampment Fire Breaks Out: Bel Air VFC

BEL AIR, MD — Firefighters from Bel Air were called to two similar incidents on Wednesday, a fire official said.

Crews handled a blaze in the 600 block of South Atwood Road that struck a homeless encampment at 3 p.m., according to Rich Gardiner of the Bel Air Volunteer Fire Company.

He said a similar incident was also reported off the Bel Air Bypass within the past 12 hours.

Nobody was injured in either incident, Gardiner said.

In November 2015, an unattended campfire caused a blaze at a homeless encampment in Forest Hill.

A point-in-time count indicated there were 179 homeless people in Harford County in 2016, according to state health officials, who reported the county served nearly 500 homeless individuals that year.

Photo Credit: Bill Snyder, Assistant Chief of the Bel Air Volunteer Fire Company.

See Also: Blaze Burned Homeless Encampment in Forest Hill