A massive brush fire, fueled by the ignition of Phragmites via a homeless encampment near the Gateway Mall, has brought an immediate effort to identify and clear the invasive Phragmites from Everett’s waterfront and marsh areas.
The fire on April 6 came just as officials, including the City Administration, Fire Chief Tony Carli and State Rep. Joe McGonagle had been calling for the removal of the Phragmites near the Gateway Mall as a safety measure.
However, facing some pushback from the state, nothing had gotten done and soon after the blaze ignited and threatened many of the nearby structures – and potentially the lives of firefighters who were unknowingly in harm’s way from the homeless encampment’s stash of propane tanks.