Oregon resident Khanh Tran purchased a 1.2-acre lot in southeast Portland with the intention of cleaning up the property and doing some construction on it.
When he bought it in February, he knew there was a pile of about 40 tires on it that he would have to discard. When he returned to visit the site in March, nothing had changed in that regard.
However, when he returned to the property on June 6, ready to begin construction, there was a significant change: hundreds of tires had mysteriously appeared on his property.
The majority of the property was inaccessible when he arrived in June due to tire walls that were at least six feet high. Plus, at least one person was living on the land without authorization. Someone even constructed a makeshift room with a table and chairs by stacking tires near one of the property’s entrances.
“The reason I wanted to buy this property, I think it’s in a beautiful location,” Tran told KATU News. “I didn’t know the disaster that was going to come with it.”
Tran’s neighbor, Heather Harmon, says she has never seen anyone dumping the tires on the property, but she is definitely concerned about it.
“I don’t know if they’re doing it overnight, or while I’m at work. I never see anybody over there,” Harmon said. “I’m worried about something catching on fire and spreading across into my yard and my property.”
Several government agencies have gotten involved, but none of them will remove the tires
Numerous agencies, including the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office, the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, county health officials, and Metro, the regional government organization responsible for waste management, have launched investigations due to the amount of tire dumping on the property.
“The Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office treats public safety and environmental hazards with the utmost seriousness,” an MCSO spokesperson said in a statement. “The accumulation of waste tires presents a fire hazard and could violate Oregon’s waste tire regulations.”
“Illegally dumped tires are a growing issue,” said a Metro spokesperson. “Over the past year, (Metro) RID Patrol crews have picked up more than 14,000 tires from public property in greater Portland – 5,600 of those in May alone. Metro is working with law enforcement to ensure those who dump their waste in public spaces are held accountable for their actions.”
He had to start a GoFundMe to help with the cost of removing all of the tires
Metro’s trash removal service, the RID Patrol, said it cannot remove items from private property. A Multnomah County spokesperson told KATU News that “the County does not have resources currently to clear the property.”
“I’m reaching out for help because we can’t do this on our own,” Tran wrote on his GoFundMe page. “The funds raised will be used to restore the environmental damage caused by the tires, cover the costs of safe removal and disposal, and rebuild the green space that our community depends on. Your support will help us make our property safe again and bring back a healthy environment for everyone.”