The city of Seattle has removed homeless man Stephen Irwin’s improvised “time bomb” shack and gold mine from a public park, but officials fear it will take years to return the area to normal. There is.
According to reports, city workers entered the area of Dr. Jose Rizal Park on Wednesday morning and removed treadmills, washing machines, beer barrels and other items from Irwin’s camp before leveling the ground. fox 13.
Mayor Bruce Harrell’s office confirmed to the newspaper, “The city’s Unified Care Team was on-site today at Jose Rizal Park to clean up the encampment in response to SPD’s on-site operations.”
Workers also removed multiple propane heaters and stoves that Irwin had installed at the campground, scaring many people who live nearby and regularly use the park about dangerous conditions at the camp. .
“This guy had four barrels of beer. He had at least three propane tanks,” park ranger Craig Thompson explained to the press.
“He reportedly had 40 gallons of gasoline at the scene. He had a generator. He had a television. He had a washing machine. . The risk of fire was extremely high in this location. There is no other way to explain it.”
Seattle police arrested Irwin at the encampment that morning.
Irwin was charged in Seattle Municipal Court with criminal damage to property and possession of burglary tools and is currently being held in the King County Jail.
Dozens of trees were uprooted and found lying around his camp while workers cleared the space.
The damage is far worse than that caused by Irwin’s arrest in October.
Last year, he allegedly stole an excavator from a local construction site and cut down surrounding trees to begin construction on a jury-installed campground about five miles from Seattle’s Space Needle.
“It will take years to restore the park,” Thompson said. KOMO News. “It’s going to take dedication. The city has to come up with a plan and stick to it.”
The damage is so severe that Seattle Parks and Recreation officials have not yet determined how much it will cost to repair the area.
“We have to take a consistent and responsible approach to this situation or the city will lose this park,” Thompson explained.
Mr. Irwin had permission to build in the park even though the city had to pay $15,000 to repair the damage he caused when he was arrested last year. He continued to stick to his assertion.
He also claimed to be mining “gold and diamonds” on some hillsides in the encampment.
“The cost is really significant,” Thompson said. Exit.
Since last year, homeless advocacy group We Heart Seattle has made multiple efforts to remove Irwin from the scene, but all efforts have failed.
Andrea Suarez, founder and executive director of We Heart Seattle, said she is taking the lead in resolving the situation because Mr. Irwin could unintentionally pose a danger to himself or others. However, he added that the homeless man had no intention of halting construction.
Suarez initially called the illegal renovations Irwin made at the park a “ticking time bomb” because he didn’t use “kerosene, propane, or gasoline” safely.
She even offered to pay Irwin six months’ rent to find him suitable housing, but Irwin refused.
“I also offered to pay for his first six months of housing, and he said, ‘That’s great.’ I still plan to keep my cabin in the woods.” Suarez told the media last week.
