A fire broke out at a homeless camp early Friday along Lady Bird Lake, Austin fire officials said.
Firefighters responded about 6:30 a.m. to the fire in the 700 block of West Cesar Chavez Street and put out the blaze within 5 to 10 minutes, said Division Chief Thayer Smith. The area is across from Austin Central Library.
Multiple items were burned in the fire, including a tent, shopping carts and other belongings, Smith said. The estimated damage to the camp is around $200, he said.
People who live near the camp told firefighters that a woman lives in there but wasn t around at the time of the fire, Smith said.
12:36 pm UTC Apr. 12, 2021
Among the locations hit hardest by Austin s homelessness crisis is the Ann and Roy Butler Hike and Bike Trail the popular 10-mile loop along Lady Bird Lake that was supposed to be protected against the city s explosion of tent encampments.
When the Austin City Council approved a controversial measure in June 2019 canceling an ordinance that had made it a criminal offense to camp in public, it came with the explicit understanding that city-owned trails and parkland would remain off-limits.
But it hasn t worked out that way.
Since early 2020, dozens of tents have popped up along or near the trail in violation of the camping ban.
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Camping bans under I-35 could be reinstated.
The Austin City Council OK d a measure that could effectively bring back targeted bans on camping in public.
Council Member Ann Kitchen s plan, known as the HEAL Initiative, asks City Manager Spencer Cronk to identify encampments in dangerous locations, provide resources to move people there into housing and then suggest policies to prohibit camps at those sites.
Council members Mackenzie Kelly, Leslie Pool, Pio Renteria and Kathie Tovo all co-sponsored the item. It passed 8 to 3, with Mayor Pro Tem Natasha Harper-Madison joining council members Vanessa Fuentes and Greg Casar in voting against it.