Residents fear Prunedale homeless encampment could start fire

Prunedale resident, Rebecca Titus, first discovered the homeless encampment, west of San Miguel Canyon Road, during a search on Google Earth. She was led to the site after noticing trash along a nearby trail.

Just feet away from the road, sleeping bags, clothing, and rotting debris lay nestled between the trees.

Titus lives only a few miles from the encampment and fears a fire starting here could threaten her home. “It could be destroyed in a flash if a fire happens to break out. There’s already pollution up there and it’s got to stop. It’s got to stop,” said Titus.

Tuesday, a cooking fire broke out at a campsite in Santa Cruz. Titus said that a similar incident could easily happen in Prunedale. “Finding a solution for homelessness is expensive, but losing entire communities, as we have seen lately, is really incomprehensible,” said Titus.

Titus said she reached out to Monterey County Parks and Sheriff’s Office, wanting to see that something is done, and fast. “If a fire starts and I lose my house I’m going to hold the agencies responsible. They know. They have known, and I will be coming to them for answers,” said Titus.

With no timeline, officials with the Sheriff’s Office said they are aware of the situation and are working on a solution. Monterey County Parks said their plan is to send in clean up crews to get rid of the encampment. They also plan to bring in goats to eat away at the brush, reducing the risk for fires. They said they will finalize these plans in the next coming month.