Pitt Meadows Fire extinguished a blaze under the Golden Ears Way viaduct on Thursday evening.
The department received numerous reports of a large fire under the bridge behind Meadowtown Centre in the 19800-block of Lougheed Highway.
Deputy Chief Brad Perrie said blaze was causing a fair amount of smoke to travel up to the bridge deck.
Crews arrived to find a homeless camp engulfed in fire.
READ MORE: Couple burned fighting fire in their Pitt Meadows house
Perrie said a witness saw a man flee the scene but firefighters were unable to find anybody – injured or not – after a thorough search of the area.
“It’s not uncommon for homeless people to seek that area out during the wintertime,” he said.
“Because of the protection of the bridge, it stays quite dry.”
The dry conditions can lead to more powerful fires, but the deputy chief said the crew were able to get the blaze under control quickly once they accessed the site.
Due to the sensitive natural environment of the Katzie Slough, which runs under the bridge, the firefighters did not use any foam flame suppressant, Perrie added.
“We had to get in there and do a little muscle work to dig the fire up and make sure it was out,” he said.
ronan.p.odoherty@blackpress.ca
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