NEW ORLEANS — New Orleans Fire Department says a house burned down because someone illegally ran lines to the house. Neighbors say the person living there was a squatter and says several other houses on the block are occupied by squatters too. Residents in part of the Seventh Ward say their block is rapidly decaying and they are tired of waiting for the city to do something.
All that's left of a house on Allen Street in New Orleans is its frame shell. The New Orleans Fire Department say reports of a house fire came in at 12:40 a.m. on July 3. NOFD says it was an abandoned home and the fire spread to the house next door.
"An NOFD investigator noticed illegal electrical drop boxes, which were confirmed by Entergy Electric throughout the block. Witnesses identified an individual who’d run the illegal electrical lines to the home."
Rhonda Labat says she's always lived in the Seventh Ward. She told WWL Louisiana, "My family has been around here since 1957, so we've been around here and it was always very nice and now it looks like any dump you want to go to."
She says her neighborhood is deteriorating.
"This block that we are on, the 2600 block of Allen, and you go down to the 2000 block of Hope all of these houses, except for maybe three has no windows, has no doors."
She says the majority of these houses on Allen Street are occupied by squatters.
"It's not fair to us who pay taxes that they can get light and water and everything else, and we're paying for it."
She's been complaining for a year and says she's sick and tired of the city doing nothing.
"This is clean, sometimes you can't even pass in the street."
City Councilman Eugene Green says he understands residents frustrations.
"I feel frustrated for her, I am pleased to report that the first demolition of one property at 2628 is going to be soon and also that unit damaged by the fire," he said.
The city councilman says he's concerned for both residents and squatters.
"Our research shows that all of those units are occupied by squatters."
Councilman Green says the person who owns all the derelict houses is dead.
"We have a very complex situation here is an owner with those properties who is deceased and very honestly it doesn't seem like any other family members are interested in taking care or it."
He promises city agencies are working together to get rid of this blight.
"Those that are watching, I can tell you what you see now is going to be vastly different to what you see in about two months. We're going to do demolitions, people are going to be relocated, we're going to forcibly board of the units if the owner doesn't do it."
As for Labat she just wants the Allen Street she remembers, back. NOFD says a person admitted to staying in the home and was arrested by Fire Investigators on the scene. An Entergy New Orleans spokesperson said, “The theft of electricity and electrical equipment is illegal, and it is extremely dangerous. We encourage residents to be safe, to obey the law, and to report suspicious or illegal activity.”
NOPD said, "On July 3 at about 12:39 a.m. in the 2600 block of Allen Street, which is between Hope and Law streets. This incident appears to have originated as a call of a fire. The arrested individual in this incident is identified as Donald Lombard. Lombard was arrested on one count each of theft and for resisting an officer."
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