A body was found Monday morning in the remnants of an extinguished fire at a homeless camp in Surrey.
RCMP received a report from Surrey Fire Service saying they found the body on the morning of April 25 at 7:30 am.
The fire happened at a camp where homeless people live near the intersection of 120th Street and 88th Avenue, according to a statement from police, who attended and secured the scene for further investigation.
“Surrey RCMP General Investigation Unit is working closely with BC Coroners Service and Surrey Fire Service to advance the investigation,” says a statement from Surrey RCMP.
“The deceased person has not yet been identified.”
Police didn’t say how the fire started or comment on the person’s cause of death.
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Anyone with information about the incident is being asked to contact police or Crime Stoppers if they want to stay anonymous.
This is not the first time a Metro Vancouverite has been hurt or killed following a fire at a homeless camp. One person died in a fire in a shed at a Surrey homeless camp in 2019, and in 2017 a woman camping outside a Chilliwack church was severely burned after the candle she used to heat her tent lit it on fire.
Although homeless individuals sometimes use candles or other heat sources to stay warm, firefighters say the practice poses a real fire hazard, and advocates have said it highlights the need for safe and permanent housing.
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