Stinking squatters are tolerated too much!

from
https://www.newsweek.com/california-home-burns-down-after-landlord-tries-remove-squatter-1894097

California Home Burns Down After Landlord Tries to Remove Squatter
Published Apr 25, 2024 at 8:07 AM EDT
Updated Apr 25, 2024 at 8:23 AM EDT

01:38
What Are Squatters’ Rights In The US?
By Giulia Carbonaro
US News Reporter
FOLLOW
1 comments
Police in Sacramento County have launched an investigation into a fire
that destroyed a house in Antelope, California, that was being fought
over by the owner and a group of squatters.

The home at the 4500 block of Country Run Way in Antelope, a suburb of
Sacramento, burned down around 10 a.m. local time on Wednesday, local
news media reported. Metro Fire of Sacramento published a video of the
fire on X, formerly known as Twitter, writing that crews were dispatched
to the location at 10:34 a.m., and found two properties engulfed in
flames "with the additional complexity of an altercation between residents."

The footage shows a raging fire burning one of the homes and thick black
smoke rising a few meters above the property. Firefighters said the
blaze started in the garage of one of the homes and quickly spread
because of the vast amount of combustible items stored in it, CBS reported.

According to Metro Fire of Sacramento, sheriff's deputies intervened to
stop a fight between residents, which they said had no impact on the
work of fire crews.

The Sacramento County Sheriff's Office said the argument was about the
fire and a squatter at the house that burned down had a knife cut that
occurred during the fight. Two people involved in the altercation were
detained.

Sign up for Newsletter
NEWSLETTER
The Gist of It
Evening Digest
Short on time? Here’s a brief recap of the day's most popular and
important stories.
Enter your email address

I want to receive special offers and promotions from Newsweek
By clicking on SIGN ME UP, you agree to Newsweek's Terms of Use &
Privacy Policy.
You may unsubscribe at any time.
Newsweek contacted the Sacramento County Sheriff's Office for comment by
email on Thursday.

House fire
A file photo of a residential home fully engulfed in fire. Police
intervened to stop a fight that broke out in Antelope, California, after
a fire engulfed a home occupied by squatters. GETTY IMAGES

Exclusively Available to Subscribers
Try it now for $1
All of the residents made it out safely, but the two homes were badly
damaged in the fire. The footage shows that one of the homes—the one
where the fire started—was burned to the ground, with barely three walls
left standing. The incident is being investigated as arson.

According to ABC 10, the house where the fire started had been occupied
by squatters for the past two years. The homeowner's son told the news
site that they were taking legal action to get the squatters removed.

While squatting incidents have recently been given a boost in visibility
in the media, there is no official data on squatting that can tell us if
the phenomenon is on the rise or not. The term squatting specifically
refers to someone occupying a property illegally and without the owners'
permission, but it's often used to refer to people who at a certain
point were given permission to live on a property as tenants or
licensees, but later entered into disputes with the property's owners.
Technically, these people are not squatters.

READ MORE
New York City gives "squatters" free lawyers
New York homeowner arrested after changing locks when finding 'squatters'
Homeowner shocked to learn she's a squatter
It's unclear what was the status of the squatters in the home in
Antelope, California, affected by the fire.

Squatters in the Golden State can claim ownership of a property after
having lived there continuously for five years, as long as they have
paid property taxes in this same period. Squatters also must have made
improvements to the property, and the owner must have known of their
presence and not made an effort to evict them.

Request Reprint & Licensing Submit Correction View Editorial Guidelines
About the writer
Giulia Carbonaro
FOLLOW
Share on TwitterShare on LinkedIn
Giulia Carbonaro is a Newsweek Reporter based in London, U.K. Her focus
is on U.S. and European politics, global affairs ... read more

To read how Newsweek uses AI as a newsroom tool, click h