A rat infestation is being investigated near a local mobile home community.
It is happening along Robinson Road near Evergreen Drive in Fayette County.
According to authorities, hundreds of rats have spilled over from a local piece of land known as “Cartwright’s Landfill” owned by local garbage hauler Loren Cartwright.
“We were made aware of a possible rodent issue earlier this week that has evolved into a significant rodent infestation affecting the businesses and residences on Robinson road near the trailer park,” said Fayette County Sheriff Vernon P. Stanforth. “The situation dictates immediate action and the Sheriff’s office has taken steps to rid the neighborhood of the infestation.”
Such steps, Stanforth said, included bringing in the Ohio EPA, local health department, and even the county prosecutor.
When the Guardian visited the property on Friday, dozens of rats were seen feeding on nearby dead rats. A horrendous smell of dead animals filled the air. More than two dozen rodents had been ran over by cars in the road, and several more were seen crossing the field into a nearby mobile home community.
The mobile home community on Evergreen Drive is home to nearly a hundred families.
There, residents say, the rodents are making their way into homes. One local homeowner spoke to the Guardian on conditions of anonymity.
“We found one rat in our pantry, and another chased our chihuahua,” the resident said. “We’ve never had an issue like this and we certainly want it addressed. We are isolating inside and won’t let our pets outside because we are afraid of diseases being transferred.”
The Fayette County Health Department said on Friday they are working with area homes to abate the issue.
“We have notified the area residents and business owners of the situation, and have advised them to call our office with questions or concerns,” said local Deputy Health Commissioner Leigh Cannon.
“We have issued orders to cease operations at this facility as it is not licensed for the placement of waste. All solid waste in and around the vicinity of the barn/building structure must be removed and taken to a licensed landfill by July 27, 2020. Failure to abide by this notice will cause this case to be forwarded to the Fayette County Prosecutor for enforcement.”
County Prosecutor Jess Weade said his office is taking the matter very seriously.
“Action will be taken, whether it is nuisance abatement, cost recovery, or other civil action,” Weade said in a statement.
In 2015, the health department issued orders to clean up the property due to failure to dispose of the solid waste in a licensed transfer facility.
“At that time we did not have a rat issue at this location. The property was cleaned up at the time the order was issued,” Cannon said.
Simply going into the land and spraying poison will not fix the issue, according to the Sheriff.
“The issue of cleaning up the site too soon will displace the nesting. Destroying the nest will drive the infestation in all directions. We need to first eradicate the infestation at its primary source,” the Sheriff told the Guardian.
Attempts to reach Loren Cartwright were not successful.