SAN ANTONIO — Watching black smoke billow from an underground drainage culvert, Pat, who has lived near West Avenue and Interstate 10 for decades, said "From my room, I can see homeless people going in and out of there all the time."
Pat lives near the outfall of a tunnel on the access road of the highway. She says the tunnel is a conduit for homeless people that allows them to easily pass underneath the freeway.
"I asked TxDOT to install something to stop this but they said it was too dangerous because people might become trapped," Pat said.
The San Antonio Fire Department was called to the area Wednesday morning to fight a fire inside the tunnel. They pulled a shopping cart out of the ditch and then worked on extinguishing a smelly mix of clothing, shoes, food trash and wooden pallets.
Pat's not alone in her concerns for safety.
In east San Antonio, neighbors say they were shaken from their sleep back in February when a big explosion shook up a homeless camp under the Rice Road bridge.
Firefighters had to venture under the bridge, in the dark, to figure out what blew up. Here, too, they got things under control quickly, but it begs the question: What can be done to keep everyone safe?
"The streets are very difficult," said Dawn White-Fosdick of the Christian Assistance Ministry.
The outreach workers who help homeless folks say they are always doing their best to encourage people to leave the danger of the streets behind.
"It is very dangerous. It's hot. It can be physically dangerous. You can get hit by a car. You could be involved in a crime just by being out there," White-Fosdick said.
The city's Human Services division runs a homeless help hotline anyone on the streets can use to get connected to resources. That number is 210-207-8198.
They say the guidelines are simple for citizens who want to report threatening activity at camps.
They say anyone who sees an issue that could be dangerous should call 311, but they say if a criminal act is in progress at a camp, then it's time to dial 911 for emergency services.
More information about homeless services can be found on the city's website.