Los Angeles 'trash house' drawing attention as eyesore, public safety hazard
'Trash house' on North Martel Avenue near Melrose in LA's Fairfax District
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A home in an affluent Los Angeles neighborhood known as the Fairfax District has drawn attention for not just being an eyesore, but what neighbors say is a public safety hazard due to trash gathering outside of it.
Junk can be seen in the front and backyards of the home, with most of it being inside white trash bags. The clutter engulfs a car parked in the driveway, and even blocks the front door. Mounds of plastic buckets and empty plastic bottles surround the home, as caught on camera by FOX 11 Los Angeles.
"Fire hazard," one man said. "If anything ever lights up in there, it's like everybody's kind of a part of it. We're all affected."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The home near Martel and Melrose Avenues is surrounded by multimillion-dollar homes. Neighbors say the smell emanating from the "trash house" is unbearable, and they can hear rats running around the mess. They told FOX 11 they have seen the owners walk around with a shopping cart, stuff it with trash and take the trash back to the home.
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Most of the trash outside the Los Angeles home is inside white trash bags. (KTTV)
The homeowner, identified by the Los Angeles Times as Raymond Gaon, declined to speak. He has reportedly owned the two-bedroom home since the mid-1990s, public records obtained by the newspaper state.
Neighbors say action was taken years ago to clean up the home and the homeowner was fined, but since then the situation has worsened.
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Trash outside the two-bedroom bungalow has reportedly been a problem for years. (KTTV)
"It's been accumulating slowly," a resident told ABC7. "My take on it is it's kind of disgusting compared to everything else in the area."
"It’s a fire hazard. It’s filthy," Miriam Kosberg, whose family has owned the property directly behind the house since 1955, told the Times. "There’s garbage all the way up to the back fence."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The "trash house" has been called an eyesore and a public safety hazard. (FOX 11 Los Angeles)
City officials told FOX 11 they are aware of the situation and are weighing options. This could mean taking care of the cleanup themselves and charging the owner, they said.
On Tuesday, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said city crews would begin clearing the debris "today."
"I don't know how to describe this any other way than to say that this is just a tragedy. I mean, this is awful. And obviously, this has been developing for months," Bass said. "I don’t want to hear about any process or whatever, this to me is a public health emergency."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}During the press briefing, Bass claimed that she just found out about the situation Tuesday night and that the councilwoman was also relatively new to the issue.
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"Let me just tell you something. Both of us, as you know, are new. I am tracking this from last night to find out where complaints were lodged and what happened in the process," the mayor said.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Bass added that she would not waste any time on getting the trash picked up.
"This is a fire hazard and I worry about the individual there, this place catching fire, him losing his life. … This is just outrageous, and it will end today," Bass said.