DHS Community Blames Management for Mobile Home Fires

"There’s nothing we can do about it," resident Brandon Hawk said. "There’s absolutely nothing we can do." Residents at the Country Squire RV and Mobile Home Park in Desert Hot Springs are desperate for change. One month ago, NBC Palm Springs reported on the community struggling to keep their power on. On top of that, they still had to pay nearly $300 for electricity per month. Suffering in the extreme summer heat, residents were trying to stay cool by using extension cords connected to the main office to power their refrigerators and air conditioners. At the time, residents said this solution was unreliable and dangerous. "They could catch on fire," Maria Aguilar, another resident, said. "It’s not a safe place to be having cables like this on the street. It’s going to keep happening until they start fixing the problem." One month later, fire did break out. "Today it got a lot worse. Two families now don’t have a home," one resident, Vanessa, said. This resident didn’t want to go on camera, but wanted to share what happened to her neighbors. "It’s not the tenants fault," Vanessa continued. "It’s the management company’s fault. They came in at 5:45 in the morning, and there were witnesses that saw the maintenance man. He turned off the generator and he just left. They didn’t tell us anything. I guess later on, they decided they were going to turn it on for their kids. I guess when they turned on the main generator, it overpowered the smaller one that’s attached to their house and it blew the whole thing up." Hearing this, we repeatedly called the management company. They didn’t pick up and still haven’t responded. Residents and friends of those who live here are fed up. "Several of the families here in this park phoned me and told me that each of these mobile homes is on 30 amps and 30 amps, it’s not enough to run their air conditioners," friend of community members, John Paul Valdez, explained. "As a result, the power has been failing four and five times in a single day. Some of these homes have 90 degree temperatures inside. It’s simply not tenable." They are desperate for answers. "I just want the management company to take accountability for what’s going on here," Vanessa said. "I’ve called the management," resident Sydney Walton shared. "I mean, at this point, it’s just I don’t know what else to do. It’s terrible. Inhumane and unacceptable. It’s just not right at all."