Neighbors say they have been asking the county to address the property for more than a year.
AUBURN, Wash. — King County crews cleared trash and boarded up a home Thursday that neighbors say has been a problem for more than a year.
The house is the site of a dog attack that sent a young woman to the hospital in critical condition in February.
Crews arrived at the home Thursday morning with an excavator and dumpster after the county said it received an order of abatement. Signs outside the building say no one can occupy the home.
Before the clean-up, the exterior of the house was surrounded by large piles of debris. Items ranged from suitcases to lawnmowers and discarded food and clothing. The property had a camper parked in the driveway and a canoe on the roof.
The county transported three truckloads of debris Thursday and will be back at the house working on Friday.
Neighbors say they’ve been asking the county to address the Auburn property on the 28800 block of 45th Place South for more than a year.
“We worked with everything that the law would allow us to do,” said neighbor Mark Peters.
In February, two dogs at the home were involved in a gruesome attack that sent a woman to the hospital. A King County Sheriff’s deputy shot one of the dogs; the other was removed from the home.
RELATED: Woman in critical condition after dog attack near Auburn
“I wish more could have been done for her because it never should have happened in the first place,” said Michelle Provan, a neighbor who witnessed the attack and ran out to help. “All I can hope is that she sleeps well and recovers well.”
There had been a number of other calls to the house for different dogs, records show.
Neighbors said it’s unfortunate the attack happened before the county took any action and questioned if this will be the end of the issues.
RELATED: Auburn home where dog attack occurred is the site of previous complaints
The county said the homeowner was not cooperating with their efforts to address problems at the home, which is why the county obtained the court order.
“How clean is it gonna get? And how long is it gonna last? That’s kind of what I’m waiting to see,” said Provan.
At least for now, the neighborhood is thankful for the change.
“It makes us feel like maybe there’s hope. Maybe we’ll get it cleaned up, so we feel more secure in our own homes. To have a cleaner, safer neighborhood, all those basic things that frankly we all want,” said Peters.