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Imperial resident urges council to address burned, boarded house near Imperial High School
Summary
Sylvia Aguirre, owner of Sylvia's Antiques, told the City Council she has lived with a year-and-a-half nuisance at a neighboring, fire‑damaged property that she says contains squatters, rodents and debris and poses a fire risk to nearby homes and Imperial High School.
Sylvia Aguirre, who gave her address as 411 West Barioni Boulevard and said she operates Sylvia's Antiques, told the City of Imperial City Council during public comment on Jan. 15 that an abandoned, burned residence next to her property has been a recurring problem for about a year and a half.
"There's a lot of high school kids passing through there. There's cigarettes. There's all kinds of debris there that could easily catch on fire," Aguirre said, adding that the house has had squatters, rodent problems and broken windows. She said she has raised the issue with city staff, including "Mr. Mora and also, city attorney," and that she provided photographs to the mayor.
Aguirre said she feared a fire at the abandoned property could spread to nearby homes and to Imperial High School and asked the council to take action. She also identified family ties to the high school and said she brought a daughter who recently returned from military service.
A city staff member who spoke to the council during the public-comment period said staff had been working with several departments and that they would be in touch this week to follow up. Aguirre said she had previously submitted photos to the mayor's office.
The remarks were recorded during the public-comment portion of the meeting; no formal council action on the property was recorded on the Jan. 15 agenda. Staff follow-up and any potential code-enforcement or fire-safety action were described by staff as forthcoming contact to the resident.
