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On Saturday, Hyannis firefighters set out to do one of the very ordinary parts of their job: responding to a medical call.
But when they arrived at 1037 Pitcher's Way, they discovered shocking, grim living conditions within the tiny bungalow, the Cape Cod Times reports.
About two dozen people appeared to be living in the small, four-bedroom home. Some only had the basement as a means of an exit, Barnstable wiring inspector William Amara said.
Improperly-installed and exposed electrical wiring posed fire hazards, Amara said. Smoke-detectors hung from the ceiling, junction boxes and switches were exposed, and about 20 beds were found in the home.
The home was promptly evacuated and power cut off, Amara said.
The homeowner, listed as Lucas Aguilar in town assessor's records, did not respond to a note left Monday with tenants at the property, the Cape Cod Times reports.
In 2007 and 2011, building department officials ordered Aguilar to discontinue the use of the basement for sleeping purposes. The same order was issued Saturday.
The Tenants
Everyone living in the home were J-1 visa workers from different countries including Russia and Kazakhstan, women found found outside the home told the Cape Cod Times. They declined to give their names, the Times reports.
Created after World War II by the U.S. government, the J-1 Visa is a cultural, worker-exchange program that allows non-U.S. citizens to move to the States to work for a short period of time.
Hundreds of J-1 workers, often from Eastern-European countries, work in hotels, restaurants and retail across Cape Cod each summer.
This is not the first time J-1 workers have be subjected to subpar living conditions. In 2011, J-1 workers in Orleans reported similiar living conditions to the Board of Health.
In March, officials began to probe allegations of J-1 abuse and inhumane living conditions in Pennsylvania, NPR reports.
