- Two people were injured and two homes suffered minor damage after a large fire on Thursday
- Firefighters battled the flames for 30 minutes after the fire swept through the camp.
- Spectacular aerial photographs show the camp razed and covered in ashes.
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Terrifying footage shows the moment a massive fire rips through a homeless encampment in Minneapolis as desperate residents flee with their belongings.
The fire tore through the settlement on Thursday, injuring two people and destroying dozens of tents.
Dramatic video captures the moment flames engulfed the camp, which was home to about 100 people.
Footage shows residents desperately trying to gather their belongings as they flee the scene.
Huge plumes of smoke and flames can be seen swirling around the tents.
A fire has destroyed a homeless encampment in Minneapolis, injuring two people
The fire tore through the settlement on Thursday, injuring two people and destroying dozens of tents.
Up to 100 people lived in the camp when the fire broke out.
“Let’s all go,” John González, a journalist with the Standing Bear Network, an indigenous media group, can be heard shouting. ‘Check these yards, everyone outside!’
Devastating photographs show the consequences of the fire that devastated the camp.
“After we saw the flames, things started exploding,” Gonzalez said. C.B.S..
‘They were propane canisters, there were fire extinguishers and things started exploding. A big ball of fire enveloping everywhere.’
Two people were treated for burns and smoke inhalation at the scene and two nearby homes suffered minor damage.
“I grabbed my dog and ran out the front door,” local resident Ashley Jensen told the outlet, adding that just a few days earlier she had been in contact with city officials about finding needles in her backyard.
“The saddest thing was that all these people lost their homes even though it was difficult to have them as neighbors,” he added.
Firefighters responded to the scene around noon and managed to put out the fire in 30 minutes.
But they warned the situation could have been much worse if there was wind.
Firefighters responded to the scene around noon and managed to put out the fire in 30 minutes.
Footage shows residents desperately trying to gather their belongings as they flee the site.
“It’s a very dangerous situation when there are so many flammable materials next to open flames, next to propane tanks,” said Fire Chief Brian Tyner.
Mayor Jacob Frey reiterated the potential dangers of the encampments and his desire to see residents relocated to permanent homes.
“Homeless encampments of this significant size are not safe,” Frey said. ‘They are not safe for the people living in the homeless camp. They are not safe for the surrounding residents.
But just a few hours later, a new camp had emerged, according to WCCO.
The field had been closed three times before burning.
On Friday, workers were seen pouring concrete at the fire site.
Minneapolis is struggling with a rise in homelessness, with rates rising 24 percent in December 2023 after a period of steady declines, according to the Department of Housing and Urban Development.