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  Nearly a month after a fire caused damage to a Los Angeles highway, security guards are now hired to monitor the sites under Interstate 10.
  
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  In the case of arson that caused a two-mile stretch of freeway to be closed for a week, no arrests were made.
  
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  The fire destroyed nearly 100 support columns along the interstate. This prompted the Biden administration, to provide $3,000,000 in aid.
  

The state hired security guards more than a month ago to keep an eye out for smoke or other problems at three sites under Interstate 10 leased by the same bankrupt man.

The Associated Press visited the properties where they found wooden pallets, as well as other hazardous and flammable materials, similar to what caused the inferno that occurred under the freeway on Nov. 11, which is used daily by 300,00 vehicles. As electrical wire snaked along the ground, rats scurried under cars, trucks, and RVs that were in various states.

According to court documents, the state subcontracted security services to fight to evict Ahmad Anthony Nowaid as well as scores of tenants who subleased through him and violated his contracts with California Department of Transportation.

LOS ANGELES FREEWAY FIRE, WHICH ENDANGERED 16 PEOPLE, LEADS TO RENEWED CALLS TO ADDRESS HOMELESS CRISIS

The next court date is this month.

There have been no arrests announced in relation to the arson that caused a two-mile stretch in America’s second largest city, which is a vital supply route for the country’s supply chains and commuters. Gov. Gavin Newsom stated that the property was held by “bad actors.”

As the accusations against the businessman grew, the state continued to lease more land. This raised questions about how the government screens land for leasing under California’s highways and freeways.

Nowaid’s companies Apex Development Inc., and Metro Investment Group, leased Caltrans the storage yard which burned as well as four other properties — with one exception — under I-10.

GOV. LOS ANGELES FREEWAYS DAMAGED BY ARSON ARE REOPENING, NEWSOM SAYS

Caltrans reported that the guards are also stationed at a receiving yard, where Nowaid moved combustible materials from its properties, as well as a maintenance yard, where Caltrans set up temporary offices.

One of the guards, wearing a neon vest, sat on a folding seat outside a storage yard with wooden pallets stacked inside that was leased by Nowaid.

Six tenants who sublet spaces under I-10 have described Nowaid’s behavior as bullying. The Associated Press was shown receipts for their monthly payments. According to court documents, Nowaid owes nearly $223,000 to the state for one property.

Where did our money disappear to? Alberto Mazariegos said that he stores the industrial washing machines of his business at a site for which he pays $1,100 per month in rent. “The state empowered him. “They are also responsible.”

Mainak D’Attaray, an attorney who answers a Nowaid phone number, was contacted by a person answering the line. The attorney did not respond to emails and phone calls seeking comments on the allegations. D’Attaray stated in a November statement that Apex wasn’t to blame for this fire, and that the property had been improved. However, he also said that the company was unable to gain access to the premises just before the fire.

The fire on 11 November spread quickly, fuelled by wood pallets, hand sanitizer, and other flammable items stored in violation of the rental contract. Nearly 100 columns of support on the interstate were damaged by the fire. The 16 people living in the area, including a woman who was pregnant, were evacuated safely. Caltrans, however, has yet to release a final cost estimate.

Records show that the state knew about problems at Nowaid sites, and inspectors had been identifying unsafe conditions in their reports for years.

Here are some of the documents Nowaid filed with the state beginning in 2008.

— A 2015 restraining orders granted to a male who claimed civil harassment by Nowaid.

The court document stated that a recycling company owner filed a lawsuit in 2016 claiming she sublet from Nowaid, and was illegally locked outside after he posted two attack dogs on the premises to welcome anyone who dared enter. The lawsuit was dismissed.

A $70,000 settlement was reached in 2019 against his company to cover the unpaid wages of construction workers.

Caltrans sold Nowaid the land in Ceres California that was used to build a mobile home community. In 2022, residents filed a suit accusing him overcharging rent and leaving the property in disarray. This lawsuit is still ongoing.

Caltrans confirmed that it conducts references checks on all its tenants before leasing their properties, but refused to answer any other questions regarding Nowaid’s past.

Nowaid is linked to at least twenty firms, including those in real estate, construction and property management that are registered with the California Secretary of State. According to court records, two of Nowaid’s businesses filed for bankruptcy separately in 2016 and 2019.

After the fire Newsom ordered an audit of all 601 “airspace” sites that Caltrans had leased around roads. Since the 1960s, the majority of these properties were used as parking lots, cell phone towers, open-air storage, and warehouses. These lots can range from a few hundreds to thousands of square foot and are concentrated around Los Angeles and San Francisco Bay.

In the last five years, airspace leasing has generated more than $170 millions for public transport.

Caltrans stated that the sites leased by Nowaid’s companies are “outliers” and only a small number of sites have been confirmed to be unsafe or fire-prone.

In 2020, state inspectors made six visits to the burning site and found flammable materials and hazardous substances.

Inspectors in February 2020 noted wooden pallets, multiple subtenants and washing machines. Inspectors found hazardous materials in September 2021. In August 2022, during a surprise inspection by the inspectors and fire marshals, they discovered solvents, oils, and a homeless camp that had returned.

Inspector Daryl Myatt wrote, in a report dated September 2022: “This is an unmaintained filthy lease.” This area has been used since the mid-1970s, and it looks as if it.

Caltrans informed Nowaid in the same month that hazardous materials had also been found at two additional sites that he leased, and denied inspectors access to two more.

A tenant of one of the properties claimed that Nowaid had not only locked him out of his own business, but also showed up with “a person with guns”. He was worried that Nowaid would kill him. The case was dismissed because the tenant did not appear in court.

Nowaid tenants in another property that was flagged as unsafe have said they purchased and installed fire extinguishers. Nowaid had been supposed to supply them. Around a dozen workers work at various businesses, ranging from a scrap metal trade to a mechanic’s shop.

Caltrans officials told tenants that they were being evicted this summer because Nowaid had not paid rent. The tenants stated that they would rent directly from Caltrans and adhere to all rules.

Felix Hernandez Rubio is a mechanic and he paid his monthly payments for seven years. “I have a good credit. I should not allow some fool to ruin my reputation. “This is a violation of my rights.”