‘A very serious public safety threat’: Deschutes DA says homeless camps on federal land need to be addressed, to avert disaster

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ)-- Satellite images east of Redmond show hundreds of acres of garbage left by those living on federal land, a growing problem that has local officials speaking out about the potential dangers, especially during wildfire season.

"The risk is intense. The risk is real. There is a very serious public safety threat," Deschutes County District Attorney Steve Gunnels told NewsChannel 21 Friday.

He's calling on federal agencies, the Bureau of Land Management and Forest Service, to take the threat seriously.

"If people violate those rules, the rules need to be enforced, so that people are removed from those areas relocated, or fined - or arrested, if they refuse to leave."

The DA spoke out at a county commissioner meeting this week, saying public lands are not being managed properly, especially in light of a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling that allows for tougher regulations and enforcement

"Every summer, we're just dodging bullets," Gunnels said. "It's going to happen some time, that it's going to be a real tragedy, where people are going to be killed, if something doesn't change."

The BLM acknowledged the garbage has gotten out of control, telling NewsChannel 21 there is too much trash for them to clean up on their own. The agency has a 14-day camping limit, but it's not clear how it's enforced, if at all. Deschutes County's camping regulations only allow three days of camping before people have to move on, but the enforcement issues are similar.

Wildfire risk is a major danger coming from unregulated camps. Just this week, officials say a fire in La Pine was started by an unattended burn pit at a homeless camp. The blaze was quickly put out before reaching a nearby neighborhood. A homeless man living on BLM land was arrested for leaving the burn unattended. (As of Friday, he had not been formally charged.)

Video from locals suggests the recent Darlene 3 Fire also started at an unattended homeless camp. Investigators have not confirmed the cause, only saying it was human-caused.

DA Gunnels says the enforcement of camping codes will need to be changed in Washington, D.C.

"We've had Darlene 1, Darlene 2, and Darlene 3 (fires)," he said,. "Darlene 4 could be a colossal disaster for this community, and we can't allow that to happen, if we can do anything about it."

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