Illegal campfire starts at new homeless encampment just off Chilliwack Lake Road, despite fire ban
CHILLIWACK — Chilliwack resident and cleanup volunteer Ross Aikenhead had a hunch something bad would happen after an RV was dropped off by a local towing company on a rural forest service road in the Chilliwack River Valley last month.
According to a social media post from Aikenhead, who’s involved in cleanup efforts in the greater Chilliwack area and also keeps meticulous track of nearly every single homeless encampment in the area, an RV was initially dropped off on Bench Forest Service Road in the Chilliwack River Valley on July 27. Aikenhead says the RV is now illegally occupying unceded land at Ford Mountain Forest Service Road.
Not only is the unhoused resident contravening existing squatting laws pertaining to Crown land, a large campfire started sometime Sunday, August 18, at the site, likely by the unhoused camper. Aikenhead says he reported it to 9-1-1 Sunday.
“I guess 9-1-1 didn’t do anything about it. I’ve now called BC Wildfire about it,” Aikenhead said in his social media post. “For all the people in the CRV (Chilliwack River Valley) and anyone else who cares, please raise shit about this. The camp is a big mess now too, nothing like this picture.”