Fires emanating from San Jose's homeless encampments far outnumber those coming from homes and businesses, leaving nearby residents scared for their safety and health.
Over the past year, thousands of non-structural fires have been sparked by homeless camps, causing toxic fumes and safety problems for people and property.
Jerry May, president of the San Jose Fire Fighters International Association of Fire Fighters Local 230, said the situation is only getting worse.
The data May shared with San Jose Spotlight is staggering. There were 4,600 total non-structure encampment fires in 2024 -- more than 10 times the number of residential fires at 360 and close to nine and a half times the number of business and building fires at 491.
He said though the data can be vague about the type of fires, May said almost all of the recorded non-structure fires came from homeless residents and encampments.
Residential fires caused about 59 million dollars in property damage last year, while business and building fires caused almost 77 million dollars in property damage.
But non-structure fires topped the list for most property damage in 2024 at more than 84 million dollars, according to data provided by May.
