Update: Looks like the gentleman who died as a result of the fire will be officially ruled as "accidental," although one can never be sure until the coroner's report actually hits the desk.
What apparently occurred was that the man had burned a log soaked in creosote in his fire pit and had been drinking heavily the day before. The smoke from the burning creosote overwhelmed him and he fell unconscious into the fire.
Not sure what's going to happen at this point, although I've been by reputable sources that the State has been contacted and will almost certainly be re-evaluating allowing folks to camp there.
Was down at the camp today for a minute to chat w Wendell, Jeannie and others about the events and was also able to talk to Channel 5 concerning the need to reassess priorities. Had Charlie Jones been allowed to move forward with his plan to donate, erect and service the small storage shed huts he'd built with heaters, ac and a bunk, chances are that no one would have been so cold they would have needed to crawl out of their tent and curl up next to a campfire.
Hoping that message is conveyed in the broadcast tonite; not sure how it'll be and still real unsure whether this will be the catalyst some are looking for to come in and close the camp.
Been thinking about the potential angles that could be used here- keep an eye out for the following threads that may be used to justify clearing it out:
1. "Area is hard to access for emergency vehicles"
2. "Alcohol / drug use rampant in area and contributed to death; not enough control of the area"
3. "Smoke from fires makes driving on interstate above difficult" (a morbid thought and I apologize)
4. "Crime has increased in the area" (old faithful)
5. "These people want to be down there and he got what he deserved. We must protect them all from themselves."
6. "Population is too large again"
7. "area is on a floodplain and we must protect them all from further disasters."
I'm guessing that about the only time you'll hear anything about the lack of available and affordable housing in the greater Nashville area is when one of the advocates attempts to bring it up.
Homeless Man Burned To Death In 'Tent City' Fire
Posted: Dec 10, 2009 12:13 PM CST
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – A 44-year-old man died after falling into a fire in a homeless camp along the Cumberland River.
Investigators said the man was found burning Thursday around 7:30 a.m. at an encampment underneath the Silliman Evans Bridge known as "Tent City."
Metro police believed the man was sitting on a plastic crate to keep warm and somehow fell forward and into the flames. By the time his friends saw what happened it was too late.
"It does appear that he was warming himself by a fire, when he potentially fell into the fire and died," said Kris Mumford, spokesperson for the Metro Nashville Police Department.
Metro police with the Hermitage Precinct and the Fire Marshall were called in to investigate, but do not suspect foul play.
The man's identity was not released pending family notification.
Initial post: Calls coming in from the Camp that a gentleman sleeping too close to his fire rolled over into it and was burned to death. Will have additional details as they become available.....
