Homeless with COVID-19 relocated after fire last week at Boise hotel
Multiple people experiencing homelessness who were COVID-19 positive and being housed at a Boise hotel had to be relocated after a fire broke out last week.
Interfaith Sanctuary, in partnership with the city of Boise and Our Path Home, created a temporary housing program for the city’s homeless population if someone were to test positive for the coronavirus, according to a news release from Interfaith.
As part of the program, Interfaith Sanctuary set aside rooms at the Cottonwood Suites hotel, located at 3031 W. Main St., so people who test positive could safely quarantine. Interfaith also provided meal service and needed medicine through a partnership with Family Medicine Residency of Idaho.
On Nov. 19, a fire broke out at the hotel at around 4 a.m., leading to an evacuation. Of the 78 people staying at the hotel, 12 were COVID-19 positive homeless guests and two others were Interfaith Sanctuary staff members.
Everyone made it out of the hotel safely, including 11 people who were rescued by firefighters from a balcony. One firefighter suffered a minor injury while fighting the fire, according to a tweet from the Boise Fire Department.
A preliminary investigation led fire crews to believe that the fire started in a locked laundry room, with the possible cause being an electrical issue.
Haley Williams, a spokesperson for the Boise Police Department, said Tuesday that the final cause of the fire was still undetermined, but investigators ruled that an electrical issue is the probable cause.
Interfaith said in a news release that it wanted to make clear that the fire was not started by any member of the homeless population.
The shelter was able to move the homeless people to another hotel.
Interfaith Sanctuary has been hard-hit during the coronavirus pandemic, as the shelters are at capacity and COVID-19 cases are high as temperatures continue to drop.
Interfaith Sanctuary is managing four shelters; an emergency shelter for single men and women; and the hotel program for medically fragile and families with children. Interfaith also has a warming shelter, a place that provides daytime shelter, meals and a place to get out of the cold weather.
This story was originally published November 24, 2020 at 10:33 AM.
