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"Sunday morning, Salinas firefighters responded to a fire in a brush area near Highway 183 and Davis Road.When crews arrived, they found a homeless encampment charred by the flames they believe were started by someone trying to stay warm.\"It looks like a homeless person was sleeping outside at this location today,\" said Fire Captain Phil Vanderhorst. \"They had a campfire going and the wind took the campfire outside of the fire ring that they had and ended up burning up a lot of their belongings that were here stowed away underneath this tree.\"Vanderhorst said it's not uncommon to see these types of fires during the winter months.\"We have an increase in fires this time of the season because of the cold weather, and we get people using heaters inappropriately, using extension cords when they shouldn't be, and that leads to fires and of course the homeless folks are trying to stay warm.\"A seasonal warming shelter opened up in Salinas across from city hall in early November but the director said so far it's only been about half full, leaving 20 to 30 beds open each night. Families and individuals are provided with a bed, blanket and hot meal.For safety reasons drugs, alcohol and smoking are not allowed.\"This will be our third year, and we've noticed that when you have guidelines or rules and expectations people don't want to comply with those,\" siad Shelter Outreach Plus Executive Director Reyes Bonilla. \"For not wanting to comply, they'd rather stay outside and do whatever they have to do.\"Many people may be forced to relocate with the implementation of a new city ordinance that allows them to confiscate bulky items like the tents, mattresses and shopping carts that have filled Chinatown.\"It is going to help minimize those numbers,\" said Vanderhorst. \"We have encampments now in different parts of town where we didn't before the weather got cold so if we can help those people get relocated and get some services and protection from the cold at night that will help out the department a lot.\"The fire captain said it's not just homeless people that are at risk of starting accidental fires during this holiday season.Christmas lights on trees and houses can also add to the number of fires they respond to during the winter."^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.ksbw.com/article/salinas-firefighters-see-more-fires-during-winter/1058262>