No heat, hot water or stoves available at Mesa retirement community after lightning strike
MESA, Ariz. - Residents of a Mesa retirement community have been left in the cold. They've been without heat, hot water or even the ability to turn on their stove -- and with temperatures about to reach close to freezing in some parts of the Valley very soon, it's a big concern.
We first told you about the lightning strike that took out utilities at Holiday Village near Dobson and Broadway on Sunday. Since then, people living in the community have had to tough out some chilly nights, which are only expected to get worse.
A meeting was held Tuesday night, but there still aren't a lot of answers.
In a statement, the property owner, Michigan-based RHP Properties, says Sunday night's lightning strike ignited a fire that required the gas to be turned off and the company is working with the city and state utility regulators to have it restored properly and safely. The company also says it expects service to be restored to a certain section of the community fairly soon, but residents would like to know when that will be.
"I know that the guy who was coming behind my trailer, walking down our row and making sure the meter was on, wasn't even looking at the meter.. he was texting," said an area resident.
Many of the residents say that the managers of the property have been ignoring several other of their concerns, including a lack of security and maintenance issues.
During the early morning hours starting Thursday, we could see temperatures drop into the 30s.
Statement from Joel Brown, President of RHP Properties:
"The safety and comfort of our residents is our top priority and we take this responsibility seriously. Our gas operator is working diligently, efficiently and safely to restore gas power to the system. Our gas operator and our staff continue to work closely with city and state utility regulators to ensure the gas is restored properly and safely."