After Two Years Of Fires, Fights, And Drugs, Manteca Finally Tears Down House
MANTECA (CBS13) — From suspicious fires to piles of trash to drug activity to fights in the middle of the night, one Manteca house was the home to a lot of headaches for neighbors.
Tammy Bland snapped pictures on Wednesday as the city's action to finally bulldoze the home finally came to fruition. She's been waiting for this moment for two long years.
"We called it the homeless shelter," she said. "It's been needing to be torn down for two years."
For the last two days, crews demolished a four-plex that once stood on the dirt lot—a home once used by vagrants.
"You see people in and out of here a lot of shopping carts a lot of debris," said Andrew Lee who lived nearby.
"The fires and the strange people—you'd be amazed," said Sylvia Delreal.
Inside the home, Bland says police found human waste, trash piles and drugs. They would arrest squatters or tell them to leave, only for them to come right back.
The home's accumulated $17,000 in fines, including trash fees.
"I knew it was abandoned, I just didn't know it was going to be this bad," Lee said.
His worst fear: That his home would catch on fire.
"Since I moved in less than a year there's been at least fire engines here that I know of," he said.
The Manteca City Council voted to demolish the abandoned home at a cost of $35,000. While it may have cost thousands to get rid of the house of horror, neighbors say it's bought them a fresh start.
"I'm really happy that it's gone," Bland said.
The problems at the home began several years ago when the property owners died. A trustee recently allowed the city to take over the property.