News

Actions

Neighbors blame homeless for Bonita brush fire

Woman says homeless have 'moved in'
Posted at 5:54 PM, Jul 12, 2016
and last updated 2016-07-28 21:47:26-04

Bonita residents think a two-acre brush fire started in a homeless camp behind their homes.

The fire started around 6 a.m. Tuesday in some brush just north of Bonita Road. Firefighters from Bonita, San Diego, Chula Vista, and CalFire had trouble finding a way into the area so they deployed San Diego’s Copter 10 to make several drops.

The fire annoyed Betty Souza who called 911.

“All the money they spent today with the fire department. I hate to think what it cost for the helicopters,” she said. “Use some of that money and come through here and clear all this crap out.”

Souza wasn’t referring to the thick brush and palm trees that burned. She was referring to the homeless camps that have been created the past few weeks.

“We were hoping it would burn a lot more than that to get rid of the homeless,” she said.

10News cameras were able to find several homeless camps as Souza walked through the brush.

“Some of the homeless are okay and others are crazy. They’re nuts. You know, so it’s not a safe place,” she said.

Firefighters did not say what started the fire Tuesday. Hand crews worked for hours chopping down bushes and trees to make sure the fire did not spark up again.