05:20 PM PST on Friday, November 25, 2005

By JESSE JONES / KING 5 News

SEATTLE – Investigators are still trying to piece together the death of a homeless person who may have burned to death on Thanksgiving Day trying to keep warm.

KING

There are about 8,000 homeless people on Seattle's streets.

If it is raining and cold, you can expect the Union Gospel Mission to be packed full.

"To be honest with you, we are maxed. We are packed not only in the chapel, but in our day room," said Bill Vandermeer.

"When its nice they have places they can go, the parks and so on and so forth, and they can curl up on a bench… Once they get wet, then they get chilled and it gets pretty hard," he said.

Because there is not enough space to house the homeless on cold and rainy days, you will often find them in places such as under bridges in their sleeping bags, trying to stay dry.

Vandermeer says it can only take care of about 100 or so of Seattle's 8,000 homeless people during the day.

But one of those people who needed that help died Thursday night. Police said an apparent homeless woman burned to death trying to keep herself warm with sterno. She lost her life in broad daylight.

The problem comes down to money. Shelters just can't afford to have staff there 24 hours a day, and until money comes in, Seattle's homeless will have to deal with cold days and few clothes.