Family who lost everything to fire sparked by homeless squatters slams Karen Bass over tragedy
A devastated family who had their cherished Los Angeles home destroyed in a fire sparked by squatters cooking meth next door blamed the mayor and police for allowing the horrific blaze to occur following their repeated calls for help.
Husband and wife Juan Galicia, 55, and Marta Umana, 65, lost their Larchmont home and three of their dogs in the March 8 blaze, which is being investigated by the LA Fire Department’s arson unit.
The couple said the inferno started after they repeatedly complained to the Los Angeles Police Department about the reckless squatters next door.
“We’d always call 911 and say this place is full of squatters and Peeping Toms. They were cooking meth inside the property,” Sonia Salinas, Umana’s 53-year-old niece, told The California Post, adding that they also reported the squatters were stealing water and power.
“Karen Bass failed us. She failed our family. She failed thousands of families in the same situation because this happens every day in LA,” Salinas continued. “We’ve seen several homes, businesses, people’s cars that end up being lit up by homeless people. It’s terrible.”
Salinas recalled that Bass visited the church where her uncle works as a pastor several months ago to ask the community for help in cleaning up local streets. But “it was not our responsibility — it was her responsibility,” she said.
“It’s her duty to keep the city clean. Our church helped clean the city for her. And yet she doesn’t even give us a call back and respond to this matter. It’s really sad,” Salinas added.
The couple lost their three dogs: 8-year-old poodle mix Charlie, 3-year-old Chihuahua-mix Firulais, and 10-year-old husky Chase, who died later at the hospital. They were able to save their other three dogs, all huskies, from the fire.
Umana said the couple tragically “lost everything.”
“I don’t have anything any more,” she said.
She said her husband, a pastor and a construction worker, saw “30 years of sacrifice and work” go up in smoke in a matter of moments.
“He’s destroyed,” she said of Galicia. “He’s super sad and devastated. He’s in shock.”
In a statement, Bass’s office said she has been successful in fighting homelessness across the city.
“We feel for this family, but it’s Mayor Bass who finally brought homelessness down in LA after years and years of increases before she took office,” it read. “We have a long way to go, and Mayor Bass will keep fighting against the special interests and politicians who want to hit the ‘pause’ button on reducing street homelessness.”
The family tried to warn the city about the squatters, who allegedly lit the fire that spread to their home.
“The [LAPD] said the squatters don’t have a criminal record so they couldn’t arrest them,” Umana said.
The group of up to eight squatters, men and women said to be in their 30s and 40s, started living in the empty home next to the family a year and a half ago.
Salinas said they complained to the police “hundreds of times,” and they showed up “maybe” once.
“They said the squatters weren’t committing any crimes so they couldn’t arrest them and that they were just looking for a place to stay. And they would leave them alone,” she said.
“According to the cops, the squatters were doing drugs inside the property so they couldn’t be arrested.”
Umana complained that it felt like their efforts were hollow and that “the homeless have more rights than we do.”
The LAPD did not respond to The Post’s request for comment.
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