City crews officially began clearing the mountains of debris from a Fairfax neighborhood home known as “Trash House” on Wednesday.

Neighbors said they’ve been complaining about the odorous plastic trash bags piled high in front of the home in the 600 block of North Martel Avenue for months but officials had not taken action.

However, one day after KTLA brought attention to the issue, local Councilwoman Katy Yaroslavsky said her team would work “with urgency” to resolve the issue.

“I am aware of the situation at the home near Martel and Melrose Ave, and have directed my team to work with the appropriate City Departments to resolve the issue with urgency,” Yaroslavsky said. “Private property owners have a responsibility to maintain public health standards, and we will make sure those laws are upheld.”

On Wednesday and Thursday, sanitation workers, some wearing hazmat suits, spent all day removing mountains of debris from the home. Many objects were found buried under the piles of rubbish including a vehicle — an old Toyota Celica.  

“It’s sad that it’s gotten this bad and it’s taken this long,” said Charlie Topial, a neighbor. “I think it should have been taken care of years ago.”

City workers were seen speaking with the homeowner who, at times, appeared confused and even upset about the trash being cleared away. He later spoke to KTLA off-camera and said he didn’t understand what was wrong with his home.

“I hope they get the homeowner some help for whatever this problem is because it’s mental,” said Anthony Thurston, a neighbor. 

Sanitation trucks and street service vehicles were seen hauling away broken glass bottles, odorous food waste and tons of other unknown items. Crews estimated around seven tons of trash were removed by Thursday.

The home had been cited nearly two dozen times in the last decade over the mountains of trash collecting outside. However, neighbors said their complaints were never addressed until KTLA reported on the incident earlier this week.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass told reporters that she found out about the situation Tuesday night and that she was relatively new to the issue.

“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.

But in the meantime, Bass said she would not waste any time in 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,” Bass said. “This is just outrageous and it will end today.”

Aerial views of the property showed mountains of trash surrounding the home and partially covering dilapidated vehicles that were left in the yard.

Residents have expressed concerns about possible health risks the trash bags pose.

“I don’t really know what’s in that, so it could be anything,” one neighbor said. “Probably stuff rotting, attracting rats and all sorts of things. And then also maybe a fire hazard. And if something happens to his house or him inside no one can get in.”

The homeowner was described as a “nice man” but this isn’t the first time the city has been called about the home. Bass toured the “Trash House” on Wednesday morning as crews worked to clear the debris.

“I don’t know how to describe this any other way than to say this is just a tragedy,” Bass said. “This is awful and obviously, this has been developing for months.”

Although neighbors were relieved to see the home being cleared, some were concerned this would only be a temporary fix.

“It’s nice but what’s going to happen once they leave?” said Topial. “Is he going to start all over again?”

The homeowner’s sister, identified only as Leah, didn’t know how to explain her brother’s living conditions other than saying, “I guess he picked up recycling and he probably cashed some of it in and he saw something that had money in it.”

The man’s house had been previously cleared of trash and debris following complaints in December 2014.

During that time, officials intervened after the homeowner failed to comply when asked to remove “rubbish, garbage, trash and debris from the premises,” a notice from the city obtained by KTLA stated.

The owner was also ordered to “maintain the premises in a clean and sanitary condition” and keep the driveway accessible. The city eventually did the cleanup and billed the homeowner in that instance.