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Neighbors upset about vacant burned-down home
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A vacant home that went up in flames last weekend, has neighbors wondering who's responsible for cleaning up the mess. Video by ktnv.com
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Las Vegas, NV (KTNV) -- It's a common problem across the Valley: homes sitting vacant, mostly due to foreclosure, are often vandalized.
Neighbors who live around a burned-out, vacant home near Sahara and Jones want to know who is responsible for cleaning it up and making sure the property isn't damaged again.
Neighbors tell Action News, the fire at 2051 Red Rock Street on Saturday was bound to happen. The owner died in 2010, but they've seen people going in and out ever since. George Stewart says the home is packed with possessions.
"The whole garage is just full of paper boxes and newspapers and that stuff," Stewart said.
Stewart thinks the home is still a fire hazard because two of the back windows are not boarded-up. He told Action News he didn't want to mention the name of the mortgage company his neighbors suspect was involved with the home, but we found a notice posted on the door after the fire which read, in part,"For any inquiries please contact your local realtor or Bank of America."
Action News contacted Bank of America. A representative confirmed, B of A is in charge of the home, and will take steps, as the notice read "..to protect the property from deterioration."
Action News also discovered that Clark County Code Enforcement, not Bank of America, had boarded up the house in January in response to neighbors' complaints.
Stewart says someone who claimed to be with Bank of America up the day after the fire.
According to Stewart, "He says he's really sorry for the neighborhood and all that stuff and he's really, really sorry that all this happened. But there's still windows in that are not boarded up.and there's all kinds of junk in there, and now, as a neighborhood we're afraid that some thing's gonna happen."
Action News hasn't been able to confirm if that person really was with Bank of America, but we can confirm, the county will slap a lien on a property every time code enforcement has to clean it up. That property can't be sold until the bill is paid.
And, if you want action against trespassers, Metro says, don't call 911. Patrol officers can't cite anyone if the owner of their representative isn't there to press charges. But, community policing officers at the valley's area command center can look into who is responsible for securing a vacant home.
If you have a problem or concern you would like us to look into, send an e-mail to 13Investigates@ktnv.com
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