Tacoma Family Left With Thousands Of Pounds Of Trash After Squatters Leave

What started as an act of kindness turned into a huge mess for a Washington family. It started when a property owner in Tacoma opened up their land to some homeless squatters, KOMO says.

“Well I wanted to help some young ladies,” the owner said, who wanted to be identified as John. “The only thing I asked is that they helped pay the utility bills."

Over time, the squatters kept inviting more homeless people to the property, and the situation got out of hand. The family says they kicked them off the property this past weekend, but now they're left with thousands of pounds of trash to clean up.

The family could be fined hundreds of dollars each day if it isn't cleaned up by the end of the week, according to John. He said it's going to take at least a month.

“We need more time," his granddaughter Alisha told KOMO. "We just need more time."

"A spokesperson for the city said this mess is now the responsibility of the property owners," reporters learned. "But all they have to do is show the clean up is moving in the right direction or else fines start kicking in."

If you're interested in helping the family clean up the trash, click here.