San Diego

Gas Leak Renders Coronado Complex Uninhabitable Days Before Thanksgiving

The Mission de Coronado apartment complex was deemed uninhabitable by SDG&E Monday because of a gas leak, leaving dozens of tenants without a home for the holiday

Dozens of Coronado residents were forced out of their apartment complex days before Thanksgiving and now have to find another place to chow down on turkey.

Judy West, a Coronado lifer, was tired of the smell of gas seeping into her home, so she called San Diego Gas and Electric.

Inspectors came to the Mission de Coronado apartment complex Nov. 18 and found a gas leak. Gas was shut off but a fix didn’t follow, and the city of Coronado was forced to rule the entire complex uninhabitable on Monday because there is no gas to heat water for the homes.

Now, dozens of tenants are out of their homes for Thanksgiving.

“It’s a highly, highly, highly dangerous situation,” said West. She’s frustrated the repairs were not made faster, and so was tenant Terra Duffy.

“I’m mad. I’m frustrated. I’m hurt. I mean, my family, we’re not going to have Thanksgiving,” Duffy said.

Coronado said the complex’s property owner and manager, Hughes Management, is responsible for the repairs. Jamie Hughes told NBC 7 they tried making smaller repairs but each new fix lead to another leak. Hughes said they failed a city inspection last Thursday, forcing them to replace the complex’s entire gas system and water heater. That replacement should be completed Thursday or Friday, Hughes said.

In the meantime, the they city put yellow “Limited Access” signs on every door, which tenants can get things out of the apartments but can’t stay.

“We have elderly here. We have a bed-ridden resident here with cancer that just can’t go like that,” said Duffy.

In the meantime, West and the other tenants were forced to stay with family or hotels. Hughes Management told the tenants they are on their own for those hotel bills, according to Duffy.

“I’m very upset,” she said. “I mean, we pay a lot of money to be here.”

Hughes told NBC 7 they are offering tenants rent reimbursements up to $500 but only a few people have requested the assistance.

“We don’t want them to be out of their homes on Thanksgiving,” he said.

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