Large encampment fire extinguished near I-5 interchange in Seattle

SEATTLE — Firefighters in Seattle doused a large encampment fire Friday morning that sent a large plume of smoke into the air near the I-5 and I-90 interchange.

The fire started near 10th and Dearborn Street around 9:15 a.m.

It took approximately 10 minutes for firefighters to get a handle on the blaze.

This is near where police responded to a shooting at an encampment earlier this month, and the SWAT team raided a camp during an investigation of fentanyl distribution.

“I like the area, but sometimes it feels not as safe as you would like it to be," said Patty Tran, who works near the encampments. “It’s kind of hard to walk around with family if you see people shooting up on every corner without hiding it.”

Outreach teams from the King County Regional Homelessness Authority reported that 64 people from a large encampment at 10th and Dearborn went into shelter as part of a state initiative to clear encampments near freeways.

But the area remains populated with scattered encampments.

“This is a way of life for a lot of people," said Glenn, who lives in one of the encampments and asked to only use his first name. “We built pallet palaces down here, I’ve seen some extravagance, it’s crazy. And why? Why? Because that’s how we live.”