The Iowa City Fire Department is investigating a large outside fire that broke out on Wednesday at an encampment off South Gilbert Street.

Fire officials responded to calls at around 2 p.m. from individuals who noticed clouds of black smoke coming from behind Lucky Pawz Dog Daycare, located at 130 Stevens Drive. 

The fire, initially deemed a vegetation fire, was upgraded to a structure fire because of its vicinity to buildings and location to an encampment of unhoused individuals. 

Trees and brush burned, along with material possessions of unhoused individuals who live in the area. Fire officials put out the fire within 15 minutes, a release said. 

There were no reported injuries and the cause of the fire is under investigation, Iowa City Fire Chief Scott Lyon said at the scene. 

“Wednesday's fire demonstrates the challenges faced by individuals without housing living in our community.” an Iowa City Fire Department release on Wednesday said. 

According to Shelter House, individuals living in the area had been working with the shelter’s street outreach specialist to get secure housing and other resources.

The emergency shelter wrote in a release that the outreach specialist helped most of the individuals living at the encampment recently secure housing vouchers, but over 30 of the rental applications were rejected.  

“The lack of affordable housing in the area for people living in extreme poverty, combined with Iowa’s legally permissible source of income discrimination, make this tragic fire even more devastating: Nearly every single individual living in the encampment would be housed had their recent rental applications been approved,” the release stated. 

The fire is under investigation by the Iowa City Fire Marshal’s Office.