Smoke, Fires and Frustration at Waterford Bay Apartments
Residents at the luxury Waterford Bay Apartments in St. Paul, Minnesota, are facing severe health and safety concerns as a growing homeless encampment directly outside their windows triggers near-constant visits from emergency crews, according to reports from CBS News and Alpha News. The camp took root near the intersection of Shepard Road and Randolph Avenue after city crews cleared a prior site at Pig’s Eye Park back in August, prompting many individuals to reject shelter offers and relocate directly next to the apartment complex.
For tenants like Dave Zerwas, who has lived at the property for over four years, the proximity has turned daily life upside down. Zerwas watches smoke drift up from open fires burning in the woods just outside his unit, describing an atmosphere where burnt plastic gets piped straight into living spaces. The air quality issues forced medics to his apartment last week. Another neighbor, Oliver Heskin, bought two air purifiers and recorded videos showing industrial-grade air purifying units lining the hallways of the complex in an attempt to clear the haze.
UPDATE: A Waterford Bay resident says he and his wife heard what sounded like “dog fighting” and animal abuse coming from the homeless encampment behind their St. Paul apartment this week. He described hearing a smaller dog crying and yelping as another dog barked, while people… pic.twitter.com/4ooysW50Cw
Fires, Smoke, and Escalating Safety Fears
Alpha News reported that the situation extends far beyond smoke, with residents documenting widespread drug use, trespassing, public urination and defecation, suspected animal abuse, and apparent gunfire alongside hundreds of police calls. Over a single recent weekend, the St. Paul Fire Department responded to fires burning in the woods behind the building multiple times in a 90-minute span, returning repeatedly as a thick haze blanketed the parking lot. Temperatures outside may be crisp, but residents say they are keeping windows shut and running air conditioning just to keep the smell of burning garbage, plastic, and rubber out of their homes. By Sunday night, the conditions grew so severe that several tenants abandoned their west-facing units to sleep in the building’s community room.
The daily toll is altering basic routines. Dani Anderson, who moved into the building in August right as the encampment expanded, says she stopped biking and walking her dog out of fear. She worries constantly about car break-ins and wishes she had known about the camp before signing her lease. While some tenants asked property management for air purifiers, those requests were denied, and management has not publicly responded to inquiries.
City Leaders Face Pressure to Clear Encampments and Open Shelters
City leaders face mounting pressure to intervene. Last week, the St. Paul City Council voted to implement a 60-day pause for outreach before clearing camps, alongside plans to open temporary and permanent shelter sites. Mayor Kaohly Her’s administration plans to move forward with clearing the encampment, though no firm timeline has been made public.
“We continue to plan for the coordinated transition of the encampments at Randolph and l’Orient, with outreach teams connecting each individual at the encampment to shelter, housing, and services,” a mayoral spokesperson stated.
That bureaucratic timeline offers little comfort to residents dealing with the immediate reality on the ground. Zerwas remains skeptical that local government will act by January as promised. Meanwhile, tenants are taking matters into their own hands—Zerwas is transferring to a different unit on the opposite side of the complex to escape the smoke, while Anderson hopes to leave entirely, even though breaking away carries a steep financial price tag.
