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A large homeless encampment tent on Haste Street West of Bowditch was consumed by flames this afternoon, beginning around 4:20 pm.

The big tent, covered with blue polyester tarps, has been visible to people going West on Haste for some weeks . The exact cause of the fire is unknown at this time, but plentiful fuel was surely available for any open flame or spark. The resulting smoke was dense black, probably because the majority of flammable materials were plastic or other synthetic materials. 

Berkeley Fire Department and City and U.C. Police departments quickly arrived on the scene. The fire was extinguished within a few minutes. In that length of time the people who had been living in the tent lost everything they owned.