Police locate multiple homeless encampments in west Edmonton, arrest one

A large fire in west Edmonton led to the discovery of multiple encampments in a wooded area near 184 Street and 105 Avenue, police said Friday.

Edmonton police were called in Wednesday, the day after a large fire was reported to Edmonton Fire Rescue Services.

Officers found four structures with several open fire pits and piles of garbage near the Poundmaker Industrial neighbourhood.

In a social media post Friday, constable Dallas Starr of the Edmonton Police Service High Risk Encampment Team said, “The person here was planning to build something better than just a tarp structure or a tent. There are rolls and rolls of insulation materials, fresh building materials that we are not sure where he obtained it.”

Police and the City of Edmonton’s joint Encampment Response Team are in the process of dismantling the encampment, and cleanup is expected to take several days.

A video posted by police shows a cattle prod found in one of the structures. Police say two replica guns and nearly one dozen knives were also seized.

EPS arrested a 48-year-old male who was living in the encampment and was charged with mischief over $5,000. The man also has a history of property-related crimes.

Police say a woman living in the encampment was brought to the provincial Navigation Centre.

Both individuals were offered housing supports.