Yuma, Arizona (AZ Family) — Yuma Fire officials are investigating a house fire that destroyed a vacant home and dozens of cars on the property.
it happened near Avenue C and 16th Street.
The fire threatened to spread to nearby homes, and residents blamed law enforcement officials. Some residents believe the fire could have been prevented.
“I called Code Compliance, I called them three times and they didn’t call me back. All my neighbors said they called them and never got a call back. “It’s been a long time coming,” Yuma resident Ruth Leal said.
Real has lived in her home for more than 40 years. She was evacuated while firefighters worked to extinguish the fire.
“The firefighter said there was a tree burning near my house, so he was burning that tree very close to me. He made sure it didn’t reach my house,” Real said. spoke.
The Yuma Fire Department said they first received a call that a palm tree was on fire and endangering nearby homes.
When they arrived, they found everything on the one-acre property completely engulfed in flames, including approximately 60 old and inoperable vehicles.
Real said cars have been piled up on the property for years and the trees have not been maintained.
“My daughter used to say to me, ‘Mom, you have to respect the phone number, otherwise there will be a big fire and the house will burn down,'” Leal said. .
The Arizona family sued to comply with Yuma city ordinances. They found a 2007 complaint about the property’s fence, but no other complaints.
A 2007 complaint found that the code case could not be opened because the property had a high block wall and the yard was not visible from the street.
Since the fire, the Compliance Department has launched an investigation to ensure the property owner cleared it properly.
Yuma’s building code supervisor said the best way to report code violations is to fill out an application on the city’s website. Yuma Click & Fix.
The fire department is still investigating the cause of the fire.
“Crews were able to isolate the fire to its original property with minimal damage to surrounding homes, a testament to the aggressive firefighting tactics employed by firefighters. Crews implemented a defensive strategy that prioritized protecting nearby homes,” said Yuma Fire Department Public Information Officer David Padilla.
No injuries were reported, but a firefighter was taken to the hospital for heat-related injuries.
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