APARTMENTS UNSAFE CITY ORDERS RESIDENTS OUT, CITING RAFT OF CODE VIOLATIONS.

Byline: Greg Botonis Staff Writer

LANCASTER - City officials ordered about 40 people to move out of a 14-unit apartment building that inspectors said had hundreds of building and safety code violations.

Building inspectors found electrical cords running between apartments, a propane burner being used for heat in one apartment, bypassed electrical meters, holes punched and cut through walls, and even a ladder leading from the apartment garage through a hole cut in an apartment floor.

``We could have a tragedy there,'' said Assistant City Manager Dennis Davenport. ``The structural integrity of the building was small potatoes compared to the electrical dangers. Fire, electrocution, it could have been bad.''

Ten of the building's 13 households were relocated to Brierwood Mobile Home Estates, which is owned by the city. Two other tenants said they needed no help finding new homes, city officials said. The 13th unit was occupied by the manager.

City officials said Wednesday that they were talking with a representative of the building's owner. The city could order the building demolished if inspectors decide it cannot be repaired, officials said.

The building next door was torn down last year because of safety problems.

Mei Mei Yuen of Walnut, listed in Los Angeles County records as the property owner, could not be reached for comment.

The city inspected the building, in the 1300 block of West Avenue J-2, after firefighters went there Monday night to investigate a report of sparks coming from electrical cords running across the roof.

City inspectors examined the building Tuesday morning and at 11:30 a.m. declared the building unsafe, posting red warning signs a door telling residents they had until 5 p.m. to move out.

Doors to two apartments, one believed to be that of the manager and another belonging to a man who was at work, were smashed open so city officials could be sure that no one was inside.

``Going through the apartment, I could see that it was so unsafe,'' said Deputy Gerry Garren of the Lancaster sheriff's station. ``They just couldn't let people live there even one more day.''

She added: ``Most of the residents were mad at the manager but a lot of them said they weren't surprised.''

Grace Resource Center, the Salvation Army and other agencies brought moving trucks and volunteers to help residents move into the mobile-home park. Security guards hired by the city were brought in to watch the building until residents could move all their belongings Wednesday morning.

City officials said the building's owner and manager had been warned several times about substandard conditions, the most recent a public nuisance warning in December about exposed wiring.

Davenport said the building's condition had worsened since the last time it was inspected.

On Tuesday, inspectors found that one apartment had a hole cut into the living room floor and a ladder reaching down to the garage directly below it. The same apartment had a wall knocked down to connect with the apartment next door.

Another apartment was devoid of furniture except for a large propane tank with a burner on top, used as a heater.

Wiring was exposed in many apartments, officials said.

Other apartments had electrical cords running through windows or through holes in walls or the ceiling to reach other apartments.

Gas lines had been altered and electrical meters had been rigged to allow tenants to get power without paying, officials said.

CAPTION(S):

2 photos

Photo:

(1 -- color) A security guard checks the doors of an apartment building in the 1300 block of West Avenue J-2, where some 40 residents were ordered to move out.

(2 -- color) A red warning sign declares this apartment building unsafe. Lancaster city officials could order the 14-unit building demolished if inspectors decide it cannot be repaired.

Jeff Goldwater/Daily News