Firefighters confiscate 88 propane tanks at Vanier Park encampment
A team of 16 firefighters and park rangers conducted what is being called a "tactical inspection" at the homeless camp in a wooded area of Vancouver's Vanier Park Tuesday.
"Basically looking at access points. If there was a fire or a concern in there or a medical call, how would the crews basically get there? Where's the closest water supply?" said Capt. Matthew Trudeau of the Vancouver Fire Rescue Service.
It's unclear how many people live in the secluded camp, but there are two large tent structures.
Under tarps, crews found a large stash of mostly empty propane tanks and began hauling them from the woods.
By the time they were finished, a total of 88 propane tanks sat in the parking lot, along with a generator and two cans of gas.
"Propane tanks of any size and any level are concerning," Trudeau said. "It's about how much energy they have when they're heated and the potential for an explosion."
With dense dry underbrush all around the camp -- and large dead branches piled right up against the tents -- there is plenty of fuel should a fire start in the area.
Tuesday's trip to the park was not a decampment and there were no police present.
Trudeau said it was an opportunity for firefighters to assess the risk in the area and develop an access plan should they ever be dispatched for a working fire or a medical call.
The Vancouver Park Board declined an interview request but did provide a statement.
"Park rangers are continuing to have the city's homelessness outreach attend during our visits to connect those sheltering on-site with long-term solutions and housing options," the statement said.
The park board previously attempted to convince the people living in Vanier Park to move on back in March, but those efforts appear to have been unsuccessful.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.