Firefighters said that as the weather cools down, concern rises over homeless warming fires near buildings.
NORTH HIGHLANDS, Calif. — The doors were locked Sunday at the O’Reilly Auto Parts store on Watt Avenue near Don Julio Boulevard in North Highlands. Instead of an open sign, a cardboard sign greeted customers telling them to visit another nearby store.
“We had a report of a fire next to an auto parts store,” said Sacramento Metropolitan Fire Battalion Chief Chris Vestal. “This was started from a homeless encampment that was on the side of the building; they were using it as a warming fire.”
The blaze was reported to firefighters just after 4 a.m. Sunday, when the National Weather Service said the temperature in the area was around 57 degrees.
“It quickly spread up the building, into the attic and ceiling space, and then spread throughout,” Vestal said. “There was also a building next door that housed a tire shop. They’ll …