Brockton firefighters point out dangers of squatting after fires in 2 vacant buildings
BROCKTON - The Brockton Fire Department is shedding light on the dangers of squatting after two city buildings went up in flames in the last week.
On Tuesday, firefighters battled a blaze at a vacant home on Otis Street. Deputy Fire Chief Kevin Galligan said the utilities were off and the front of the building was gated but the back door was open.
"There's no utilities in this building so there really should be no reason for an accidental fire," Galligan said.
Two days prior, Brockton Fire fought a three-alarm blaze at a row of vacant businesses on Legion Parkway. The fire department said the building was known to have squatters.
Now, state police investigators with the Fire Marshal's office are looking into both Brockton fires. Investigators do not know for sure what caused the fires, but Galligan says the issue of squatting means his firefighters have to search vacant buildings despite the dangers.
"A significant problem"
"This is a significant problem. So, we did put members into this building with heavy fire showing in floors two and three only for the reason of people squatting or homeless people inside these buildings," Galligan said. "Today is the anniversary of the Worcester Cold Storage fire where six firefighters were killed in the vacant building, looking for homeless people living in there as well so we take that very seriously both for their safety and our own."
The fires come amid a hot debate in Brockton on how to handle the city's growing unhoused population.
City council votes to ban encampments
A few weeks ago, the city council voted to ban encampments in the city and saddle individuals with a $200 fine if they are found sleeping outside. The mayor vetoed the ban last week.
The Brockton region has experienced a rapid rise in homeless individuals in the last four years, according to federal data.
A point in time survey found that overall homelessness rose 75% in Brockton and the surrounding region between January 2020 and January 2024. The number of unsheltered homeless individuals nearly tripled for 30 individuals in 2020 to 104 in 2024.
