A pile of clothing, garbage and sleeping bag=
s belonging to some homeless people caught on fire below the Bay Street =
Bridge in Victoria Sunday evening, forcing the temporary closure of the =
bridge.
The small fire spread to nearby shrubbery and generated a =
thick column of black smoke around 5 p.m.
However, the fire was qu=
ickly extinguished by emergency crews, said Victoria police Const. There=
sa Tuttle.
The location is a fairly common spot for street people=
to sleep, she said.
The bridge was re-opened around 5:45 p.m. Cit=
y crews stayed to examine if any electrical wiring for street lights was=
damaged.
One person was reported to be leaving the scene after t=
he fire started, however police could not say if that person might be re=
sponsible for the incident.