West Philly Residents Say Abandoned House Is To Blame For Rodent Infestation
By Diana Rocco
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - A rodent infestation has neighbors in West Philly at their end.
"Something needs to be done. We have kids around here and they could just attack," said neighbor Tina Sizer.
Dozens of rats have moved in and are starting to take over.
"Yesterday there were about 30 rats running up and down the middle of the street," said a resident named Bernie, who didn't want to give his last name.
"They were running from porch to porch. They were big," Earline Lamb said.
The unwelcome pests have neighbors running scared and concerned about the children who play on the street.
"I'm scared to park around the corner and walk home," says Lamb." It was about this big with a long tail, ran from across the street over here."
Neighbors say the rodents are coming from the over-grown yard of an abandoned house on the 7300 block of Garman Street.
"It's been months and months and months and nothing has been done yet to take down the bushes, it looks like a jungle," Bernie said.
"I'm concerned if I walk by here, they're going to jump out at me."
The property owner, who didn't want to give his name, tells Eyewitness News he's hired someone to clean up the yard, but the rats are from residents throwing trash in the yard.
City inspectors have been out to the location and plan to drop poison.
