The “decommissioning” of an encampment in Regina’s Core Community Park is set to be complete by the end of the day. Speaking to reporters Tuesday afternoon, Regina Fire and Protective Services (RFPS) Chief Layne Jackson said the decision to dismantle the encampment came after crews responded to three fires in the park over the weekend, in addition with rapidly falling temperatures. “We’ve determined that the conditions, the danger, the risk is imminent, and we need to make the closure immediately,” he said. According to Jackson, the incidents over the weekend involved explosions and one person being taken to hospital to be treated for burns. “What we can confirm is a pattern of folks bringing open flame devices and open fires into their tents, along with compressed gasses such as just paint, which would create a very, very dangerous and imminent situation,” Jackson explained, adding that investigations are still underway. People staying at the encampment were notified of the city’s decision Tuesday morning. The fire service was allowing those in the area to gather their possessions before leaving. A fence has since been erected around the park, although Jackson did not have a timeline for how long it will stay up. “The fence will be part of securing the property, and other departments will be involved in restoring and bringing it back. That timeline, I don’t want to speculate on that,” he said. “Our focus for today is on prevention and mitigating those hazards and making sure that we don’t have any further loss or injury.” Work at the former encampment site is set to be completed by Tuesday evening. More details to come…
