Two fires broke out in the same week at a homeless encampment in San Jose. 

KRON4’s Philippe Djegal spoke with some residents at the Sunshadow Mobile Home Park who are worried their homes could burn down. 

The homeless encampment where the fire started is along the Story Rd. ramp to southbound Highway 101. 

When Trami Huynh returned home from work Saturday night, she feared the fire burning along the wall behind her house would actually destroy it. 

Councilman Tam Nguyen said at a press conference on Friday that the problem is getting worse. 

Nguyen said Caltrans performed a sweep in the area back in February, but that was only a temporary fix.

The encampment has grown from dozens of people to a couple hundred. 

“That’s CalTrans’ jurisdiction,” Nguyen said. “So, I have many, many, if not dozens of meetings and requests to city staff — the answers always that’s a CalTrans jurisdiction and we have no authority.”

Pastor Scott Wagers along with other homeless advocates do their best to handout water and provide services to people living on the streets. 

“I’ve been following most of these folks since the jungle — the largest homeless encampment in the nation at the time, and you know, there’s still 4,300 people on the streets in San Jose,” he said. 

The city is developing a tiny homes pilot project, possibly at a site owned by Caltrans that could house dozens of people. 

The project is months away from opening up, so for now the homeless community is staying put. 

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