FIRE!!!...News from Brookside Mobile Country Club in El Monte

On Easter Sunday afternoon, a mobile home in Brookside Mobile Country Club burned to the ground.  According to our on site contacts and a newspaper article approximately 30 firefighters showed up to put out the fire.  No one was injured and I was told that the home had been vacant due to a recent eviction.  One of Brookside's residents spoke with arson investigators on the scene and was told that it appeared the fire had been deliberately started.  If this is true then who did it?  The former owner?  A disgruntled resident?  Kids playing with matches?

Now if a former or current resident set this fire I can understand the frustration and anger that would lead them to do such a thing.  I can understand how park owners' and park management's abuses would push them to light a match to something they feel was being unfairly taken from them.  I can also understand how insensitive, ineffective city and state officials who are seemingly deaf to the problems of Tatum and Kaplan mobile home park residents would help lend a spark to this fire.  Residents want to be heard and although acts like this may call attention to our problems, they also endanger other homes and families.  Because of the possible danger to others, I do not support this kind of protest.  If this fire was the result of an accident, faulty electrical system or some kind of spontaneous combustion then an immediate and thorough investigation needs to be made to prevent this from happening again.

If this fire was intentionally set then that is a crime and if those responsible are caught they will most likely go to jail.  It's that simple.  The root cause of the crime is not quite so simple.