Firefighters expect advocates to check on people living in huts and tents in northeast Atlanta on Thursday morning.
A fire broke out in an encampment in the woods near the Buford Spring Connector Wednesday afternoon.
“It’s an area where there’s a lot of foot traffic, people walking through the woods. We do have a lot of unhoused people in the area,” said Battalion Chief Michael Roman.
Tracy Thompson is the executive director of the Elizabeth Foundation, a nonprofit that works to connect those living in that area to housing.
She estimates that about 25 people live in the woods where this happened.
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“These tents and huts can go up in seconds with a person in them,” said Thompson.
Once the fire was out, her team checked the woods. They said a client who has lived there for 15 years told them someone using a candle to see inside his house burnt it down.
“He had a stroke this past year. So, he’s got complicated health issues, and he needs to be housed. We’ve got him document-ready, but there’s not a housing program that’s been made available for him to apply to,” said Thompson.
Firefighters said Atlanta Police are going to try to make contact with some resources to help him and his neighbors in the camp.
“He would be grateful for the resources,” said Thompson.
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