Bed bugs take over El Sereno apartment - residents

EL SERENO, Calif. (KABC) -- People who live in an El Sereno apartment complex say they've been complaining about a bed-bug infestation for years. Residents say once Eyewitness News started inquiring, the work started. But it's not going to be an easy fix - they say the bed bugs have taken over.

Bed bugs by the jarful and residents covered in bites, those living at the apartment complex on South Huntington Drive say their homes are infested and unsafe.

"I kept getting bit ... before I knew it, I had 75 bites all over my body," said Anna. "They took me to the hospital, and they said that I had cellulitis, which is an infection in the skin due to bites."

Anna is one of half a dozen residents speaking out about the conditions inside their homes. Many didn't want to be identified for fear of retaliation by the management company.

"We had an infestation and the infestation is still there," said Felix Hernandez, who moved out of the complex. "The owners don't want to do anything about it."

According to Barker Management Inc., which runs the complex, they just learned of six units with reported bed bugs. The company says treatment is scheduled for next week.

"We as a company are focused on the well being of our residents," the company said in a statement. "All units were recently treated for (pests) and we have informed the residents to contact onsite staff should there be a need for follow up."

Residents say they are the only ones who have treated their apartments and say numerous units are infested. It's the children they worry about the most, saying at least 50 kids - one as young as 8 months old - have been bitten.

"You're sleeping, and you wake up and look at bed bugs next to you," said Martha. "It's too much."

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