Two people were displaced by a fire at the Littleton homeless encampment over the weekend

Two people were displaced by a fire at the Littleton homeless encampment over the weekend. Littleton Fire responded to a report of an outdoor fire at 11:10 p.m. on Sunday and arrived to find a hand-built homeless shelter fully engulfed. According to Fire Chief Chad Miller, the fire was caused by a person operating a welding torch powered by a gas-operated generator. The two shelter occupants, reportedly a couple, were relocated to a motel. All of their possessions were lost. The fire was contained to the shelter site. No injuries were reported. Five days before the fire, the homeless encampment was debated at the town session on Feb. 6. A proposed warrant article would ban overnight camping on municipal property between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. It would essentially outlaw the encampment, located on town land behind Littleton Water and Light and off of the rail trail. During the debate, residents were split on the warrant article. Opponents said the petition warrant article lacked compassion, failed to address the underlying problem, and would simply push the homeless to other places in town. It’s not only unkind, but it exemplifies the ‘not in our backyard’ statement, and pushes the problem onto someone else.