A fire that officials say was intentionally set destroyed tents at an encampment near the McNeil power plant.

The Burlington Fire Department was dispatched to a report of an outside fire in the woods off of Intervale Rd. There was a report of large flames and heavy black smoke between the railroad tracks and the McNeil Plant in the area of an encampment.

Crews arrived to find multiple tents and belongings burning. A hose line was utilized to extinguish the fire.

There were no occupants on the scene when we arrived and no injuries reported. There were reports of a vehicle leaving the scene when the flames were noticed by workers at McNeil.

The Fire Marshal’s Office deemed the fire to be intentionally set and a criminal investigation will be conducted.

If anyone has information regarding this incident, please contact the Burlington Fire Marshal’s office at 802-864-5577 or the Burlington Police Department at 802-658-2704.

The Burlington Fire Department ended 2024 with 6,192 calls for service, an increase of 2.6% from 2023 and an increase of 14.9% over the previous five years. From the purchase of a new 3000-gallon Pierce tender to the approval of building a new fire station,