Fire and explosion in a homeless camp
A local state of emergency was declared Thursday due to activities at a sanctioned homeless encampment in the Sausalito Marine Park. The city manager’s statement cited a fire and explosion the previous night at the camp as the reason.
SAULSALITO, Calif. – A local state of emergency was declared Thursday due to activities at a sanctioned homeless encampment in the Sausalito Marine Park.
City Manager Chris Zapata declaration cited a fire and explosion the previous night at the camp as the reason for the declaration.
“Conditions of extreme peril to the safety of life and property now exist in the town of Sausalio, caused by dangerous and sometimes criminal activity in and around the area of Marinship Park designated for transition night by persons who do not have no opportunity to sleep indoors,” the statement read in part.
The Southern Marin Fire Department, in a separate press release, said a tent fully engulfed in flames spread to another tent, causing minimal damage in Wednesday night’s incident.
Sausalito police said they were dispatched to the area around 7:15 p.m. at the park after an explosion could be heard “throughout the city.”
No injuries were reported.
Bystanders said they saw a suspicious person in the area who returned to the scene and was questioned by authorities.
Debra Ellen Hazelwood, 61, a resident of the camp, was arrested shortly after, police said.
Police said they admitted to using a lighter to set the two tents on fire. One tent had a propane tank. The other tent turned out to be his.
Hazlewood is charged with arson and has been jailed in Marin County Jail, police said. His bail is set at $150,000 after police requested an upgrade.