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SLO homeless man dies from fire

July 9, 2011

Homeless encampments are commonly found along creeks in San Luis Obispo County

A homeless man who had been staying along the creek that runs behind the Elk’s Lodge in San Luis Obispo, died Friday night after his tent caught on fire, possibly from a candle. [KSBY]

A woman who was in the area tried to put out the flames and then ran to get help.

San Luis Obispo firefighters arrived to find the man in his 60s still on fire. He was transported to an area hospital with burns covering about 85 percent of his body.

He died shortly thereafter.

This is the second death in the homeless encampment that includes about a dozen tents and lean-to shelters during the past year. About a year ago, an elderly man told CalCoastNews that he woke up during a cold spell to find his wife had died during the night.


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God Bless this gentleman. He is now in a wonderful place.


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I knew Mr. Cohen a little. Very sad to hear of our loss and his horrible death. This is the second fire in an encampment in the past week. I am wondering if there is more than coincidence working here.


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To this soul that passed

I forgive you

Please forgive us all


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What a horrible way to die. Burns on 85% of his body? I don’t understand why the number was so high. Was he unconscious?


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This is so sad Why wasn’t this man being cared for in a county home or assisted living? How sad. I remember hanging out near those parks and creek beds in the 70’s and early 80’s when me and my friends would drive up from Los Angeles to see our friends going to school at SLO Good times at those creek beds…….partying and such (we were in college after all) so sad to see it come to this. If people could treat mental illness like a physical illness perhaps we would not hear these stories. Which reminds me…..Robert grigger Jones’ wife Alice Lancy Jones is a mental health counselor maybe she could go down to the creek bed and counsel some of these people and assist them perhaps point them in the right direction. Her offices are in Atascadero if that helps.


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Kind of makes Sunny Acres’ wooden sheds look a lot better doesn’t it?

Can’t wait until the county builds its $20 million “homeless campus.”

They should forget that BS and take that monery and rent apartments for these people. $20M would go a long way toward housing these people immediately, but then again, they don’t have $20 million anyway. And if they ever do manage to build the homeless campus, they’ll need a whole new bureaucracy to run it. Or they’ll contract with someone to run it, then a few years later they’ll cut the budget of that contract just like they are doing right now with CHC and the health clinics. They closed General Hospital for this system and now are going back on their word.

They should give Dan Duvaul that $20M and let him house ALL the homeless.

Shoot Duvaul would probably do it for 1/10th that price.


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Yes, This is a very sad end to a hard life. What’s even worse is that this man was probably a vet and we are allowing our vets to die in the streets while we support illegal’s who want to take advantage of a lifestyle that could not exist without our veterans. I agree that the very idea of our lawmakers declaring Dan Duvals’ hospitality unsafe is the equivalent of a dichotomy that is beyond any semblance of reason. It’s time to just do what should have been done years ago, donate the funds to upgrade his facilities and people need to stop being so friggin heartless.


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Very sad end to a tough life…


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“there but for the grace of God go I”


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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C6AQ6NkrkAo


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I watched the video Thanks for sharing I have never heard of this guy Leonard Cohen Again so sad about this guy in the park


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