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DENVER (KDVR) — A sanctioned homeless campsite caught fire Saturday night and displaced at least three dozen people.

The flames got dangerously close to neighboring homes. The fire department is still investigating the cause and nobody was hurt. The Colorado Village Collaborative, which runs the site, is helping find residents a new spot.

One of those residents, Rosemarie Palafox, recalled the chaos as she was packing a moving truck with some of her salvageable belongings.

“I heard like, ‘whoosh, whoosh, whoosh,’ and then I heard people screaming and stuff and I was like, what in the world is going on?” Palafox said.

The temporary tents were just feet from a residential area, where Emily Ostrander lives.

“We started hearing all of these loud explosions, and I open my door and people are running around screaming and there is a big black smoke cloud and huge flames. I evacuated my house thinking it was about to be burned down,” Ostrander said.

Neighbors often feel unsafe near campsite

Neighbors used garden hoses to slow down the flames. But now neighbors say this is just the tip of the iceberg of their frustrations. Ostrander said the campsite, known officially as a “Safe Outdoor Space,” has made her feel unsafe many times.

Neighbors noted stolen property, knife fights on the sidewalks and other crimes since the tents went up last November. But with those events aside, they feel it’s just not a sustainable strategy in a neighborhood.

“We were concerned about this exact sort of thing happening since they moved in,” Ostrander said. “Placing 50 highly flammable, densely packed (tents) in a lot within feet from a home — it’s just not safe and it’s really unfortunate that this happened to the people that live in there, because I know some of them lost everything, and it was really scary for the surrounding neighbors as well.”

But the sanctioned camp allows a safe space for people without homes to connect with services.

“The reaction from the other people in the neighborhood is unnecessary,” Palafox said. “The homeless live in the streets and the alleys, but you don’t want them to have a camp where they can actually get help and the things that they need.”

Denver Health, which owns the lot, did not renew the lease for the campsite, so it was set to move Dec. 1.

The CVC sent us a statement regarding the fire:

“The Elati Street Native American-Inclusive (NAI) Safe Outdoor Space (SOS) experienced a fire at about 10:15 p.m. Saturday. The swift action of our staff made sure all our community members were safe. Emergency personnel responded quickly, and the fire was contained within the CVC site and no one was injured. Thirty-seven people have been displaced, and some have lost everything they own. As a safety precaution, CVC has moved residents living at the site into temporary housing. We are cooperating with the fire department on its investigation. Finally, we are thankful to our neighbors who have stopped by with food, blankets and inquiries about the safety and wellbeing of our community members. We really appreciate this care and kindness.”

Colorado Village Collaborative

The cause of the fire is unknown at this time.