A fire broke out again on Sunday night in a homeless encampment along northbound I-5 in Olympia, spreading into the trees above Capitol Lake.
It took firefighters more than two hours to knock it down, with the Washington State Patrol and both the Olympia and Tumwater fire departments responding.
No injuries were reported, and the interstate stayed open. The effort to put it out took over 1,000 feet of large-diameter hose and an aerial master stream to reach the flames in terrain too steep and dangerous to access on foot.
This is Not the First Time This Encampment Caught Fire and Burned Along I-5
Crews were first dispatched around 9:05 PM on Saturday (August 23) to a wooded area between the US-101 on-ramp onto northbound I-5 and the Capitol Boulevard overpass, along the edge of Capitol Lake.
The fire spread fast through the trees, while Olympia Fire’s aerial truck deployed a master stream to reach the blaze from above while crews laid hose below.
The fire was declared out around two hours later at 11:25 PM, but drivers in the area needed to be warned about excess water on the interstate.
Tumwater Fire Chief Brian Hurley said in a press release that the cause is under investigation.
The Jungle, What It Is and Why This Keeps Happening
The fire Sunday night started in or near what Olympia residents know as The Jungle, a sprawling homeless encampment of roughly 21 acres near I-5 and Pacific Avenue. The area is estimated to house between 200 and 290 individuals and is one of the largest unsanctioned encampments in Washington state.
Sunday’s fire was at least the third significant encampment fire in this area in recent months. On July 7, a fast-moving fire broke out on the Pacific Avenue side of The Jungle, spread into trees, and sent a massive smoke column visible from the highway.
Earlier this month, on August 23, a separate fire broke out along the highway barrier on the Deschutes Parkway side near the freeway bridge; WSP enforced rolling slowdowns while crews responded to an engulfed structure inside the tree line.
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