BELLINGHAM, Wash. — A notorious homeless camp has been the scene of everything from overdose deaths to murders over the years.
The camp, located off Guide Meridian Road in the northeast part of Bellingham, has been around for about 15 years and is home to about 300 people.
"You hear chainsaws and guns and people yelling all the time," said Jana Smith, who lives in the Tullwood apartment complex next door to the camp.
Smith said what's going on the the woods behind her home is insane.
"The kids are upset because there's someone bent over making weird noises, or swinging a machete around, or screaming at nothing for no reason while they're taking their clothes off," Smith said.
The 20-acre encampment is making life miserable.
Smith said the worst part is the fires set every day and night to burn garbage -- filling the air with acrid smoke.
It's all taking a terrible toll on her three children.
"They hate it," Smith said. "They ask to move all the time. They just want to live somewhere were they can walk and be safe."
The problem with the camp is that it's on private property, so the city can't just go in and clean it up.
Now, though, there is a Jan. 1 deadline for the property owner to take action, or the city will.
City officials estimate there are at least 1,000 tons of trash in and around the camp -- some of it buried. About 300 shopping carts have piled up and all the mess is leaching into a nearby wetland.
The city has been trying for years to get the property owner to do something about the encampment, but she lives in another country and has not been cooperative.
Now, the city and the owners of the apartment complex are taking the property owner to court demanding she clean the area up by Jan. 1. If that does not happen the city wants the court to allow its people to clear the lot.
Bellingham Mayor Kim Lund addressed the issue at last week's city council meeting.
"We are actively pursuing actions at these locations," Lund said. "We have requested extra police patrols to deter criminal activity and address public safety concerns that we've heard about. We are also working directly with the property owners, offering technical assistance through multiple points of contact."
As for Smith, she plans to move as soon as possible but is hopeful for whoever takes her place.
"There's a light," Smith said. "There's a little light at the end of the tunnel at this point."
The estimated cost to clean the camp up is $4-6 million.