(Photo by JEFFREY HASTINGS) Piles of partially-burned items ranging from clothing to building materials are spread out under a Manchester overpass after firefighters brouight an early-morning blaze under control.

MANCHESTER — State police troopers working Wednesday’s morning commute on I-293 north suddenly noticed thick, black smoke billowing from underneath an overpass near Frontage Road.

After calling it in to headquarters, troopers closed the northbound lanes of I-293 as firefighters, dispatched to Frontage Road at about 6:50 a.m., located the source of the fire and promptly requested additional apparatus due to the size of the fire, which was also spreading fairly rapidly behind gusty winds.

The area that was on fire is a known homeless encampment, which was set up under the bridge earlier this year after a larger encampment behind Walmart near the trail trail and under the Cracker Barrel billboard was closed and cleaned out.

Once the fire was knocked down responders rummaged through the debris to be sure no one was in the encampment at the time of the fire. Several items including propane tanks, wood, and other building materials were located, but nobody was present.

State Department of Transportation sent personnel to the scene to inspect the portion of the bridge that was directly above the most intense part of the fire. Manchester police closed Frontage Road while crews continued to work at the scene.

Manchester DPW responded to the area after firefighters cleared, and spread salt and sand onto Frontage Road, which had become covered with ice from the fire hoses.

The fire is being investigated by the Manchester Fire Marshal’s Office, and the DOT will continue with the bridge inspection.

Manchester continues to see a growing population of homeless people across the city. Many of the encampments have been located in wooded areas out of the view of the public, but continue to be dangerous due to the flammable items that people use to keep warm.

–JEFFREY HASTINGS