The Route 66 town of Victorville, California, has been beset by so many tumbleweeds rolling in, some residents found themselves trapped inside their homes by the sticky weeds.
The Victorville Daily Press first reported on the unusual phenomenon last week:
A mass invasion by the High Desert’s infamous rolling hazards besieged a series of home in southwest Victorville that left some residents calling the city and even 911 for help.
“We have received several calls and we’re aware of the problems with tumbleweeds there, primarily in Mesa Street area,” Victorville spokeswoman Sue Jones told the Daily Press. “We’re not exactly sure how many homes are affected, but we’re estimating about 100 to 150 homes in that area.” […]
The entire front of some homes were covered by mountains of tumbleweeds Monday afternoon — with some piled as high as the second story of homes off Agave Bay Street and Canyon Road — as wind gusts of up to 60 mph pummeled the region.
The newspaper posted an amazing video, showing the tumbleweeds piled high against homes.
KABC-TV in Los Angeles filed this report from the scene:
The station reported:
Victorville resident Bryan Bagwell said his backyard was stacked full of the prickly weed. While he’s thankful for the city’s help, he wants more to be done to prevent the problem.
“The people that own the property need to do something about it but they won’t drag it. They won’t respond to the city from what I understand,” Bagwell said.
The problem stems from open fields in the area. When the wind kicks up, the tumbleweeds begin rolling in.
Victor Valley News posted this video, as well:
City work crews were sent to the area to help clean up the weeds, and they received aid from the San Bernardino County Fire Department and Burrtec Waste Industries.
Contrary to popular belief, tumbleweeds (also known as Russian thistle) are not native to the United States. It’s believed they accidentally were introduced to the Americas circa 1870 when a few of their seeds found their way amid flaxseed in South Dakota.
(Screen-capture image from Victorville Daily Press of a pile of tumbleweeds in front of a home in Victorville)
And I thought it was only Trump who had Russians in his back yard!
That was big news on the LA TV market. Backyards full of them where the neighborhoods end and the open desert begins.