Los Angeles’ homelessness crisis is out of control. Now, it has contributed to the destruction of four homes and millions of dollars in damage.
City officials have confirmed that the Skirball Fire which began on Dec. 6 was started by a cooking blaze that erupted at a homeless camp nestled in the Bel Air hillside.
The Los Angeles Times interviewed a number of residents, all of whom seemed keenly aware of the homeless presence in their area.
"We knew it was only going to be a matter of time before something horrible happened," said Nickie Miner, Vice President of the Bel Air-Beverly Crest Neighborhood Council. Residents had expressed concerns before, but “all the agencies’ hands seemed to be tied.”
Miner said it’s time for a massive regulatory overhaul, not just more education efforts on fire prevention. That includes dismantling the homeless encampments in the area’s vulnerable brush akin to those that followed the 1961 Bel Air Fire.
The latest report from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development says Los Angeles County has the second highest homeless population in the nation and the highest number of homeless people living outside of designated shelters.