The last people remaining at a Dakota Access pipeline protest camp prayed and set fire to a handful of wooden structures on Wednesday, hours ahead of a deadline set by the Army Corps of Engineers to close the camp.
(FOX)- Some of the praying protesters said burning the structures — which appeared to include a yurt and a teepee — was part of the ceremony of leaving. As heavy rain turned to snow, some said they expected no trouble during the eviction, despite a heavy law enforcement presence.
“People are being very mindful, trying very hard to stay in prayer, to stay positive,” said Nestor Silva, 37, of California. “I am not aware of any plans for belligerence.”
The Corps has set a 2 p.m. deadline for the camp to be emptied ahead of potential spring flooding.
A massive cleanup effort has been underway for weeks, first by protesters themselves and now with the Corps set to join in removing debris left over several months.
Wednesday’s deadline for the protesters to leave also may not spell the end of the heavy law enforcement presence near where Dallas-based Energy Transfer Partners is finishing the last section of the pipeline, which will carry oil from North Dakota through the Dakotas and Iowa to a shipping point in Illinois.