Fire breaks out at homeless camp along Highway 99 in south Modesto
A debris and vegetation fire broke out Tuesday morning in an open-top drainage culvert and Caltrans access between Highway 99 and the Sunrise Village mobile home park off South Seventh Street in south Modesto.
Smoke slowed traffic on the highway for a bit and briefly disrupted power to at least one unit in the mobile home and RV park.
The fire started about 11 a.m., and firefighters from the Ceres and Modesto departments arrived to find residents trying to extinguish it with garden hoses as it threatened their homes.
Firefighters cut away metal fencing in the culvert to gain better access to the debris. They used water and foam to knock down the blaze.
The fencing is designed to keep people out of the culvert, Ceres Battalion Chief Jeff Serpa said, but he and Modesto Battalion Chief Darin Jesberg said the embankment is populated by homeless encampments.
A man who lives in the mobile home park said some residents also dump debris over the low concrete wall that separates Sunrise Village from the culvert. A frontloader was requested from the state Department of Transportation to break up the rubbish pile to fully extinguish it, Jesberg said.
No homes were burned, Serpa said, but a power pole and line were damaged. The Turlock Irrigation District rerouted electricity and restored it to the area.
This story was originally published December 8, 2020 at 12:55 PM.
