Fire at Sudbury tent encampment sends 1 person to hospital with injuries

One person was injured and transported to hospital due to a fire at a tent encampment in Sudbury, Ont., on Sunday.

The city's fire department said first responders were at the scene of the fire at around 5 p.m. ET after propane cylinders that people were using for heating caught fire and exploded.

A video of the fire, shot at a distance, showed thick black smoke rising from the encampment.

Fire department Deputy Chief Jesse Oshell said people living in encampments need to be careful about how they create heat.

"With those fuel-fired appliances and electrical appliances, and knowing they were inside tent structures or makeshift shelters, you know, certainly you have to be extremely cautious and careful when using any of those devices."

Last December, a person in another tent encampment in the city died after a tent caught fire.

Evie Ali, executive director of a Sudbury outreach group called the Go-Give Project, said a shortage of affordable housing and adequate shelter space have led people to look at other ways to keep warm in the winter.

"We have an increase in warming spaces this year and hopefully those will be utilized," she said.

"But still they are not likely to meet the capacity at hand within our community. So it really is kind of just an ongoing process full of obstacles for those that are unhoused at this time."