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Photo by Jonathan Choe
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Camp Fires

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Another homeless encampment fire in Seattle. This time on S.Weller St. in Little Saigon. 3 tents gone. I’ve been monitoring expansion of tents here now for weeks. I’ve also built several relationships with campers including “Jason.” He got out safe. Appears accidental.

A Record Number of Fires

@SeattleFire says so far this year, there have been nearly 500 homeless encampment fires in #Seattle for incidents including rubbish fires and illegal burns. Already ahead of last year’s pace.

Ballard Commons Fires

November 1-, 2021 | @SeattleFire says last night’s Ballard Commons Park fire was accidental. No injuries. But Seattle is now facing a record number of homeless encampment fires across the city. More than 1200 and counting.

It’s hard enough dealing with the fire, but @SeattleFire says they have no choice but to work around the hazards and risky conditions at these homeless encampments. Imagine navigating human waste, drug needles, and combustibles like propane tanks.

November 2, 2021 | Another fire in the Ballard Commons homeless encampment. Happened this morning. Neighbor sent me this photo and says Seattle Fire crews now have it under control. Unclear what started it or if anyone was injured.

Another Homeless Encampment Fire

September 18, 2021 | Otherwise, a gorgeous evening in the Emerald City.

Jonathan Choe

Journalist and Senior Fellow, Center on Wealth and Poverty
Jonathan Choe is a journalist and Senior Fellow with Discovery Institute's Center on Wealth and Poverty, covering homelessness issues for its Fix Homelessness initiative. Prior to joining Discovery, Choe spent several years as one of the lead reporters at KOMO-TV, consistently the top rated television station in Seattle. His in depth stories on crime and deep dive investigations into the homeless crisis led to measurable results in the community, including changes in public policy. Choe has more than two decades of experience in television news behind the scenes and in front of the camera for ABC, NBC, FOX, CBS, and Tribune. He has also been nominated and honored with multiple industry awards including an Emmy. Choe spent several years teaching classes on emerging media and entrepreneurship to under privileged youth in inner city Chicago. As an independent journalist, Choe also contributes regularly to the Mill Creek View and Lynnwood Times and has reported on exclusive stories in the past year for Daily Wire and The Postmillennial.