SEATTLE — People who live around a homeless encampment in Seattle's South Lake Union neighborhood say they are frustrated by the lack of action to clear the camp after reports of fires, tampering with the electrical system and now a person from the camp threatening people with what is described as "Mad Max" style weapons.

The camp is located at the intersection of Fairview Avenue and Mercer Street near the on-ramp to I-5.

Two people who live close to the camp spoke with KOMO News, but asked that their names not be used out of fear of retaliation from a person at the camp.

“I’ve seen him walk around with a combination of 'Mad Max' style weapons — pieces of rebar, wrenches, tire irons. He’ll wrap the handles in duct tape, bang on the fence and swing them at people," said a man who lives adjacent to the camp. "A good chunk of (residents) are scared. They are scared to go out at night."

Another resident said she has seen a man from the camp walking around the area with a bat that has a spike driven through the end of it.

City officials said the encampment is on Washington State Department of Transportation and Seattle Department of Transportation property.

Linda Robson, a spokesperson for the Seattle mayor's office homeless response, said via statement the city is actively monitoring the unauthorized encampment site.

Seattle City Light officials responded to the encampment this week to fix an electrical box that was broken open and the interior components damaged.

“It has become way out of hand," a person who lives next to the camp said. "There’s nothing governing them. Nothing. They build whatever they want, they steal whatever they want, they steal power from the power lights. They’ve become powerful, they have weapons, they’re not afraid to show they have handguns."

The encampment was also the scene of a large fire in July 2022 that heavily damaged the area, including the electrical box.