Crews remove cabin and makeshift-mine that homeless man built in Seattle park

SEATTLE — City work crews went into Dr. Jose Rizal Park Wednesday morning to remove a cabin and sprawling encampment that a homeless man has built over the last few months.

Steven Michael Irwin continues to claim he has permission to build the cabin in the middle of the park, despite being arrested when he took an excavator from a local construction site and began removing trees in the park in October.

“It is going to take years to restore the park,” said park steward Craig Thompson. “It is going to take a committed effort. The city has to put a plan together and stick to it.”

KOMO News featured Irwin’s encampment in a story last week when he allowed cameras to tour the site, which included a mining area where he claimed to be digging for gold and diamonds. Irwin had also installed multiple heaters and stoves in the encampment which he said he planned to expand.

City crews removed the cabin as well as a washing machine, treadmill, beer kegs, and a microwave that Irwin had in the camp.

The city recently paid $15,000 to restore the area of the park where Irwin dug up with an excavator. Irwin was booked into jail and charged with property destruction, but returned to the park after being released from jail.

The damage done to the area now is far more extensive than what was caused by the excavator incident, though Seattle Parks and Recreation did not immediately have an estimate of how much repair is needed. There are dozens of felled trees around Irwin's encampment and Thompson estimates it will take years to restore the area.

“We need to have a consistent and accountable approach to this situation, because otherwise the city will lose this park," said Thompson.

Homeless outreach group We Heart Seattle claims to have offered to pay for six months of housing for Irwin, but he indicated would still keep the cabin in the park even if he was put into housing.

RELATED:Homeless man who dug up Seattle park with an excavator has now built a cabin there

“He is digging into the slopes, building structures, tearing down trees, undoing thousands of dollars in repairs,” said Andrea Suarez of We Heart Seattle. “There’s also a risk for him being in that environment. There are smells of kerosene, propane, and gasoline - there are three different forms of fuel down here, wires everywhere. It’s a ticking timebomb.”

Irwin also claimed he was digging for "gold and diamonds" in the hillside in one section of his encampment.

“The amount of damage that was done is truly considerable," said Thompson.

Seattle police confirmed Irwin was arrested Wednesday morning at the encampment. He is currently facing charges of property destruction and possession of burglary tools in Seattle Municipal Court.