SANDY SPRINGS, Ga. --
A Sandy Springs woman had to be taken from her home Tuesday by fire fighters after they discovered she was living in a place littered with years of trash.
Fire officials say they got a 911 call about a medical emergency at the home on Kitty Hawk Drive and when they got there they could barely get through the door.
The 38-year-old woman was taken to Northside Hospital in unknown condition after spending six weeks inside her home.
A note from code enforcement from last week indicates an anonymous complaint about the outside of the house uncut grass and trash lying around.
However, the real problems were on the inside.
Piles of trash waist deep made it difficult for fire crews to get her out. It took four firefighters 40 minutes to finally get through the clutter, and when they went back in after she left, they had to suit up in masks and heavy fire gear.
"With all the debris in the home we had to take some health considerations for the personnel that had to go in," said fire marshal Jeff Scarbrough.
They also had to take decontamination showers after they came out.
Neighbor Leslee Marrinson was shocked to see all the activity in her neighborhood. She said she has known the woman for three decades and knew she had problems.
"She had some personal problems a long time ago, and I don't think she was ever able to get through it," said Marrinson. "I'm worried about her because I don't know if anyone knows what happened and I feel bad. I feel bad that I didn't even know."
Marrinson said the woman rarely left her home and the last time she saw her was months ago.
Police said, other than brief outings, she may have been inside for 15 years.
Code enforcement condemned the house and officials said they will work with the homeowner and her family to get the home cleaned out.
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Paul Peluso | Staff Writer
Paul Peluso is a Firehouse.com staff writer and has worked for the Web site since 2006. Previously, he worked as a reporter for several community newspapers located in the suburbs of Baltimore, Md. Since joining the newsteam, Paul has covered various fire service issues including fire sprinklers, grants, line of duty deaths and technology. While he started out at the Beltsville, Md. office, he has since moved to Florida where he works out of his home office in Tampa.
