A power shutoff ordered by county officials during triple-digit heat left dozens of low-income seniors in Southern California unable to safely remain in their mobile home park.
Early Monday, electricity went out at the Lark Spa Mobile Home & RV Park in Niland, and residents' trailers soon turned into "dangerous ovens," according to KYMA.
What happened?
The outage appears tied to a years-old problem involving the park's primary power line.
Park management had not permanently fixed the problem for years. In the meantime, an electrician installed a temporary high-power bypass line so cooling could keep running in the extreme heat.
Even with an Extreme Heat Warning in effect, county officials rejected an emergency workaround and the park went fully dark. Inspectors had classified the temporary electrical setup as a "Code Red" violation because no permit had been obtained and the trench missed California Title 25 depth requirements by one inch.
The Imperial Irrigation District said it is not responsible for the outage because the park uses a master meter, so the utility bills the property as a single account and the owner handles power for residents. The utility also said no other outages had been reported in the Niland area.
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"Imagine having no access to your personal effects," park resident Seth True told KYMA. "Not being able to watch your movies, your streaming services. Not being able to go to the bathroom in your bathroom or take a shower when you want to."
Why does it matter?
Because many of the park's residents are elderly, disabled, and low-income, the loss of electricity poses an outsized risk when temperatures climb and cooling systems stop working.
Some residents have been sheltering in a single recreation room without indoor toilets or working showers. Others who have stayed in their homes are spending $50 to $75 a day on generator fuel just to power basic fans.
The outage lies at the intersection of aging infrastructure, extreme heat, and code enforcement.
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"So at night you have to come outside, walk through the dark … there's snakes, tarantulas, there's camel spiders," True said.
What's being done?
Park management has contacted emergency relief groups, including the American Red Cross, while an emergency request remains stuck in permitting. Imperial County District 4 Supervisor Ryan Kelley and county officials had not responded to requests for comment.
According to county code enforcement documents, officials believe the shutoff was legally required to address what they viewed as an immediate electrical fire hazard.
Residents told KYMA that neighbors have been checking in, offering meals, and welcoming displaced neighbors into cooler spaces.
"I would like to see somebody from the county come up here and stay one day," True said. "I would like them to go have to be in there from the time they wake up and stay there on a night on one of those beds."
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