Terrifying footage shows the moment a massive fire rips through a Minneapolis homeless encampment as desperate residents flee with their belongings.
The blaze tore through the settlement on Thursday, injuring two people and destroying dozens of tents.
Dramatic video captures the moment flames engulfed the encampment, which was home to around 100 people.
The footage shows residents desperately trying to gather their possessions as they flee the site.
Huge plumes of smoke and flame can be seen swirling around the tents.
A fire has destroyed a homeless encampment in Minneapolis injuring two people
The blaze tore through the settlement on Thursday, injuring two people and destroying dozens of tents
Up to 100 people were living at the encampment when the blaze broke out
‘Come on everybody out,’ John Gonzalez a journalist with Standing Bear Network, an indigenous media group, can be heard shouting. ‘Check these yards, every body out!’
Devastating photos show the aftermath of the fire, which wiped out the encampment.
‘After we saw the flames, things started to explode,’ Gonzalez, told CBS.
‘They were propane canisters, there were fire extinguishers and things started to explode. Big ball of fire just engulfing everywhere.’
Two people were treated for burns and smoke inhalation at the site and two nearby homes sustained minor damage.
‘I grabbed my dog and ran out the front door,’ local resident Ashley Jensen told the outlet, adding that just days before she had been in contact with city officials about finding needles in her backyard.
‘The most sad thing was all these people lost their home as much as it was difficult to have them as neighbors,’ she added.
Fire crews were called to the scene at around midday and managed to put out the blaze within 30 minutes.
But they warned the situation could have been much worse if there was any wind.
Fire crews were called to the scene at around midday and managed to put out the blaze within 30 minutes
Footage shows residents desperately trying to gather their belongings as they flee the site
‘It is a very dangerous situation whenever you have that many flammable materials next to open flames, next to propane tanks,’ Fire Chief Brian Tyner said.
Mayor Jacob Frey reiterated the possible dangers of encampments and his desire to see residents relocated into permanent homes.
‘Homeless encampments of this significant size are not safe,’ Frey said. ‘They’re not safe for the people living at the homeless encampment. They’re not safe for the surrounding neighbors.’
But just hours later, a new camp had sprung up according to WCCO.
The camp had been closed three times before it burnt down.
On Friday, workers were seen dumping concrete on the site of the fire.
Minneapolis is struggling with a surge in homelessness, with rates up by 24 percent in December 2023 after a period of steady declines according to the Department of Housing and Urban Development.