Homeless squatter concerns mount after three Thousand Palms homes burn down

Concerns continue to mount about the homeless population in Thousand Palms. Homeowners in the Tri Palms Estates community say they’re worried about burglaries and squatting, after three homes have burned down this year.

One home ignited in April — residents say it was the result of a squatter lighting a barbeque.

“There was no water, no power, no electricity, and he started a fire to cook a barbeque — that’s how he burned this place down,” said Tim Hicks, who lives in the neighborhood.

Another mobile home sparked up in June and spread to the nextdoor neighbors’ home while they were home.

Ed Glapinski is a Citizen on Patrol for the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department — the eyes and ears of his community. He said in the summer, many of the homes in the neighborhood go unoccupied, making them prime real estate for squatters.

“Anybody can go through and it’s not too hard to discover which homes are open,” Glapinski said. “We see window screens taken off that would indicate somebody’s gotten into the house. We get reports all the time of things that have been taken out of the empty homes.”

Tim Hicks lives on the same cul-de-sac as one of the homes that burned down.

“When you have abandoned properties that aren’t being taken care of, that’s where the issue comes in, that’s where the squatter comes in, that’s where they start the fires,” Hicks said. “The fires are real scary because mobile homes burn down in a very, very short period of time.”

He said Thousand Palms could use more patrols from the Sheriff’s Department.

“The police need to patrol the area more,” Hicks said. “You see something, you say something — report it.”

You can reach Jake on Twitter, Facebook or email him at jake.ingrassia@kesq.com.