Family Complains About Fort Bliss Housing

April 20, 2008

KFOX 14 El Paso*

Novick-KFOX News Reporter

April 18, 2008

EL PASO, Texas -- The Spires family, who live on Fort Bliss, said

their first government home was infested with termites, mice and

mold, and the military moved them out of that home immediately. When

the Spires got to their second home on post, it also had a mold

problem, and they said the military did nothing to fix it.

" We lived in the house for seven months and with that level of high

toxic molds, I mean they had flu-like conditions, my son has a huge

skin rash, my daughter missed 13 days of school, " said

Spires. " They said they would get a mold inspector out, but then

they told me that mold doesn't exist in El Paso. "

Spires went to the doctor's office, and came back with

notes " recommending alternate living quarters. "

" I had doctor's notes, I took them to the manager and the assistant

manager, and they said doctor's notes don't matter to them, " said

Spires.

So Spires took matters into her own hands.

" We hired our own mold inspector and it came back that we had the

highest level of molds, every kind of mold including the toxic black

mold, " said Spires.

She had to go through her husband's chain of command to finally move

out, into a new home on post in February.

" It's very difficult, with two kids and they're always sick, you

know, and I've run out of people to turn to, nobody wants to help, "

Spires told KFOX. " We shouldn't be treated like second-class

citizens, especially when our husbands are fighting for their

freedom. "

Fort Bliss officials said they have opened an investigation into

what happened with Spires' old house, and that they should have a

response by Monday.

Spires said the most difficult part has been having to do all of

this on her own, because her husband is in training preparing to go

to Iraq.

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