An invasion of tumbleweeds engulfed a high dessert community in Southern California, leaving a pileup that practically buried some homes up to the second floor windows.
Homeowners in the small city of Victorville, San Bernardino County, California suffered a rude awakening early Monday morning when they realized they had their yard work cut out for them due to a massive accumulation of the prickly bushes barricading them inside.
Some residents were forced to call 911 for help.
Sue Jones, a spokeswoman for the city told the Daily Press about the unwelcome visitors that affected almost 150 homes.
We have received several calls and we're aware of the problems with tumbleweeds there, primarily in Mesa Street area. We're not exactly sure how many homes are affected, but we're estimating about 100 to 150 homes in that area.
Tumbleweed sightings aren't anything unusual in Victorville, but this level of infestation was not anything to casually brush off.
Resident Tanya Speight can attest. She told ABC News:
Normally you get a few flying down the street or whatnot, but never this many that will stack up even this much, and this is mild compared to what it was actually in the back yard and in the front of the house. So no, it's never been this bad.
The bizarre disturbance in the neighborhood didn't go unnoticed on Twitter. People took the opportunity to comment on the phenomenon through GIFs and memes.
It could be worse. The tumbleweeds could be aggravating alien life forms.
They're pesky little things that seem to have a life of their own.
Sure, they're harmless. But not when there's an army of them.
Code Enforcement Division cleanup crews arrived on the scene to help remove the tumbleweeds, but resident Bryan Bagwell told ABC he wished further efforts were being made to ensure the neighborhood would be safe from another ambush.
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.
Jones said San Bernardino County dispatched a hand crew from Devore to properly dispose of the pileup. Their tireless efforts continued well into the evening. In addition, Burrtec Waste Industries provided an additional compacting truck to help with clearing away the dry brushes.
The primary goal is to clear the front of the houses, to remove the tumbleweeds in order to allow residents safe access to their homes. With the winds as strong as they are, as soon as they clear certain areas, more tumbleweeds are blowing right back in.
Members of the community in Victorville pitched in.
@jman42/Bluesky
@SecretaryBurgum/X
@Doug Ellin/X
@evanrachelwood/Instagram