BROCKTON – The Brockton Fire Department is shedding light on the dangers of squatting after two city buildings went up in flames this past week.
On Tuesday, firefighters battled a blaze at a vacant home on Otis Street. Deputy Fire Chief Kevin Galligan said the utilities were turned off and the front of the building was locked, but the back door was open.
“There are no utilities in this building, so there really shouldn’t be a reason for an accidental fire,” Galligan said.
Two days earlier, Brockton Fire battled a three-alarm blaze in a row of vacant businesses on Legion Parkway. According to the fire brigade, it was known that there were squatters in the building.
CBS Boston
Now, state police investigators along with the Fire Marshal’s office are investigating both fires in Brockton. Investigators aren’t sure what caused the fires, but Galligan says the squatting issue means his firefighters have to search vacant buildings despite the dangers.
“A significant problem”
“This is a significant problem. So we put members in this building with heavy fire on the second and third floors just because there were people squatting or homeless people in these buildings,” Galligan said. “Today is the birthday of the Cold storage fire in Worcester where six firefighters were killed in the vacant building, looking for homeless people who also lived there, so we take that very seriously, for their safety as well as ours.”
The fires come amid a heated debate in Brockton over how to deal with the city’s growing unhoused population.
The city council votes in favor of a ban on 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 seen a rapid increase in the number of homeless people over the past four years, according to federal data.
A study at one point found that overall homelessness in Brockton and the surrounding region increased by 75% between January 2020 and January 2024. The number of unsheltered homeless people almost tripled in 2020 from 30 people to 104 in 2024.
Louisa Moller
