Life along the tracks: Large encampment on railroad raises concerns for Fresno County

A large homeless encampment along the San Joaquin Valley Railroad lines is raising concerns for Fresno County officials and others who think the combination of trains and the residents will end in tragedy.

The campsite, with broken-down trailers, cars and tents, sits along the tracks near Brawley and Belmont avenues, just west of Fresno City limits. It’s well known to county officials, and passersby, as well.

“It’s huge,” said a man who called The Bee recently, without providing his name.

“It’s right on the train tracks on both sides. Someone is going to get hit by a train.”

The encampment is apparently known to emergency workers as well.

On a recent day, American Ambulance workers arrived there to rush a woman who lives there to a hospital; she told them that she was having stomach pains.

It was mid-morning, and other residents were waking up and emerging from old motorhomes and trailers that no longer fit the original description as recreational vehicles. Nearby, a woman stood outside a trailer guarded by a large pit bull as a man stood on the tracks, just outside of the reach of the chain, teasing the dog.

The man, who did not want to provide his name, said he has lived in the camp for about a year. Railroad officials normally act quickly to warn trespassers off their right-of-way, but the man said that hasn’t happened since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The sheriffs tell us to leave sometimes,” he said. “But we know we don’t have to.”

The man lived on the north side of the tracks. He warned the visitor not to cross to the south side.

“That dog will bite you,” he said. “And so will the woman in that car over there, if she wakes up.”

Sonia De La Rosa, of the Fresno County Administrative Office, said officials have reached out to railroad officials about the encampment. She said the railroad “would be responsible for the cleanup.”

“Once (San Joaquin Valley Railroad) has a cleanup date scheduled, our outreach team would engage individuals and thereafter the Sheriff’s Office would assist with those that continue to trespass on the site.”

Reaching officials at the railroad to find out information about their operations in the area is not so easy.

A call to their emergency number connected to an official in Vermont, who could provide no details on how often trains operated through the area. But he said he would note the concerns about the encampment and notify someone to investigate.

Under a federal court order, residents must be notified in advance of a cleanup , and officials must assist them with storage of their property.

This story was originally published April 19, 2021 at 1:08 PM.