Empire State Review Team 
FDNY Responds to Fire at Upper West Side Homeless Encampment
Location: Upper West Side, New York – Date: March 18, 2025
Incident Overview
A fire erupted early Tuesday afternoon at a homeless encampment situated underground near Riverside Park, specifically along the Amtrak train tracks close to West 78th Street and Riverside Drive. The New York City Fire Department (FDNY) received reports of smoke billowing from a street grate shortly after 11 a.m.
Firefighting Efforts
Emergency responders acted swiftly, deploying approximately 60 firefighters to the scene. Teams managed to run hose lines through an accessible window, allowing them to tackle the flames coming from the tracks. By early afternoon, the blaze had been fully extinguished, with no reported fatalities or serious injuries linked to the incident.
Community Response
The surrounding community expressed surprise at the presence of an encampment in the area. One local resident remarked, “The homeless issue is a very pressing and delicate one, but this is completely unexpected, and I couldn’t have imagined that there’d be an encampment right here.”
Background on Encampment Removals
The city has been actively working to address the challenges posed by homeless encampments. In the first nine months of 2024 alone, city officials reported that more than 2,300 encampments—housing approximately 3,500 individuals—were cleared across New York City.
