Crews respond to “suspicious” fire behind dog kennel in Lompoc

Fire crews are investigating a vegetation fire that started at a homeless encampment in Lompoc behind the dog kennel on North H Street Saturday afternoon.

Lompoc Fire responded to a possible vegetation fire in the riverbed behind the dog kennel on North H Street around 3:30 p.m. Once on scene, crews found a half an acre fire with a woman from the homeless encampment trying to put out the fire with a shovel.

Crews evacuated the woman along with another occupant and a dog.

Fire Crews extinguished the 50 by 50 feet fire in 2 and a half hours.

Fire Chief Brain Federmann says they cause of the fire is suspicious in nature. No injuries were reported due to this fire.

Federmann says Lompoc Fire has responded to other encampment fires in the riverbed and that these fires pose a significant threat to the camps’ occupants and residences that live along the riverbed.

He says with a little more wind, this fire could have spread through dry grass to four other encampments down wind.