In what appears to be a bizarre incident, a Portland property owner discovered piles of illegally dumped tires piling up on his 1.2-acre property, and nobody knows how they got there.
Imagine visiting your lush green property, and you see piles of tires all over the place. That is what happened to Portland resident Khanh Tran.
Unfortunately for him, the tires multiplied to the point where the piles were six feet high, prompting him to launch a fundraiser because nobody would help him clean the mess.
The police have also been clueless about the suspect and are investigating the incident. The story apparently highlights a growing tire problem in Portland that Tran could have been a victim of.
Tran Was Left Shocked by a Tire Dump on His Property
According to a report by The Drive, Tran arrived at the property last weekend to address the tire problem. However, to his surprise, he found multiple stacks of tires, many more than he had previously seen when he last visited the property.
Unfortunately, despite the complaints, the suspect remains at large. Not only that, the authorities cannot even assist Tran in clearing the tires because they are on private property. Tran, who bought the property in April, said:
“The reason I wanted to buy this property, I think it’s in a beautiful location. I didn’t know the disaster that was going to come with it.”
KATU News highlighted the gravity of the situation on YouTube, showing how the tires were covering up the greenery on Tran’s property. The tires have been reportedly accumulating for many months, but Tran does not know how or when they were dumped on his property.
Tran’s neighbor, Heather Harmon, suspects that someone has been gathering the tires from local businesses, pretending to run a tire recycling service, and dumping them on the property. However, nobody has been spotted dumping tires on Tran’s property.
Harmon is worried about a potential fire problem. She said:
“I don’t know if they’re doing it overnight, or while I’m at work. I’m worried about something catching on fire and spreading across into my yard and my property.”
The difference in the number of tires since February has been massive, since there was a single pile back then, totaling 40 tires.
Tran had spoken to a seller to clear the pile, but during this March visit, the tires were still present. It was only on his June 6 visit that he found a sea of tire stacks on his property.
Now, multiple agencies are investigating the case, including the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office, Metro, the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, and county health officials.
The potential environmental violations, trespassing, and illegal dumping are being investigated. Apparently, the illegal tire dumping is a widespread issue across the city, with 14,000 tires picked up from public property in the last year and 5,600 picked up in May.
Tran Launched Fundraiser to Clear Tires
Tran stated in his GoFundMe fundraiser that he has been struggling to find a way to clear the tires from his property and requires additional funds to solve the problem and restore his property. He wrote:
“We are victims of illegal tire dumping, and the amount of tires left on our property is overwhelming. It’s impossible for us to fund their removal alone, and the situation has become a serious safety concern for our community. The hazardous waste poses risks not only to our family but also to our neighbors, and we are struggling to find a solution.
“I’m reaching out for help because we can’t do this on our own. 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.
“Any support you can offer will help us remove the tires, restore our property, and make our community safer and greener. Thank you for considering a donation and for standing with us in this difficult time.”