Demolition begins at troubled Lazy Wheels Mobile Home Park in Ceres

After years of fires, utility shutoffs, dangerous living conditions and complaints from former residents, demolition is finally underway at the long-troubled Lazy Wheels Mobile Home Park in Ceres.

Heavy equipment began tearing down mobile homes this week, but even as the cleanup moves forward, city leaders say questions remain about the property owner and what comes next for the site.

"It's been tragedy," Ceres Mayor Javier Lopez said. "We've had deaths here, we've had fires here, and I think somebody needs to be held accountable."

CBS News Sacramento first reported on conditions at the park last year after firefighters discovered a body inside a shed on the property.

Former residents described deteriorating conditions, including a lack of running water since 2017 and months without electricity before the park was ultimately vacated.

Lopez said the city had limited authority to intervene because California regulates mobile home parks, leaving responsibility for demolishing the property with owner Anthony Nowaid and Metro Investments Group.

"At some point, we knew we had to step in," Lopez said.

According to the mayor, Ceres police gave the property owner a timeline to begin demolition. Nowaid had previously said work would start Jan. 1, but demolition did not begin until more than six months later.

"If the property owner is going to continue to do business in the City of Ceres, I think the best option is for him to communicate with us," Lopez said.

The property owner previously faced a class-action lawsuit filed by residents who alleged their electricity was shut off in retaliation. The park later closed and residents were forced to leave, but many of the abandoned mobile homes remained, attracting squatters and creating ongoing safety concerns.

Ceres Fire officials said the demolition process includes removing recyclable materials and hazardous waste before the remaining structures are demolished and hauled away.

"They remove anything that can be recycled, anything that's hazardous material," a Ceres Fire official said. "They mitigate that, and then what's left, they dispose of appropriately."

For Lopez, demolition is only the beginning.

"The reality is, what are we going to do next?" he said.