BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — Residents in one of Bakersfield's oldest communities say a massive illegal dumping site has been growing just yards from their homes for more than a year, and they worry it's more than just an eyesore.
Neighbors living in Cattle King Estates say they are concerned about fire danger, pest infestations and what could happen if the site is not cleaned up soon.
Just beyond the backyards of homes in the neighborhood, rows of tree trunks, branches, green waste, tires and other debris stretch across a hillside near the Kern River.
Residents say the dumping has been ongoing for more than a year.
"We started noticing dust and debris and dumping going on," Cattle King Estates resident Les Mood said. "We didn't know at first what was going on, but eventually we figured out that a lot of waste material, mixed waste material, was being dumped here."
Mood said neighbors have documented everything from tree waste to construction materials, mattresses, concrete and tires.
He said their concerns go beyond what is visible.
"We had a massive amount, sometimes hundreds of beetles, almost like an apocalyptic amount of beetles we joke about," Mood said.
Mood believes pine beetles from the dumped trees spread into the neighborhood, killing trees on multiple properties.
"We cut down about three or four pine trees, and then some of our neighbors cut down, I believe, 22 or 23," Mood said. "They were hit really hard."
Neighbor Shane Brooks said his property was also impacted.
"We had about 40-foot pine trees, and we lost over half of them to the pine boring beetles, which had never, ever touched anything in the orchard before," Brooks said.
According to city citations, the property in question belongs to Jeremy Willer Construction.
Willer declined to go on camera but told 23ABC News over the phone that he was told to clear trees from his property at the former Rio Bravo Country Club and had the material brought to his tract to be composted. However, the city's most recent inspection found no corrective action had been taken and no composting permits had been filed.
While residents are concerned about the impacts on their neighborhood, Bakersfield Fire officials say their biggest concern is what could happen if the site catches fire.
"So a lot of it's just a fire load," Bakersfield Fire Marshal Shane Gardner said. "We have a tremendous fire load that's behind us."
Gardner said the massive amount of wood and vegetation could burn for hours or even days, tying up crews and taking resources away from other emergencies.
"We'll have guys out here that are committed to incidents like this, mopping up, overseeing the cleanup of it," Gardner said. "So it's really just putting our guys out of the station that much longer to run other calls."
Battalion Chief A.J. Cook said the location of the site makes the threat even more serious. Cook said a fire at the site could require heavy equipment, large numbers of firefighters and hours of work.
City documents show Bakersfield Code Enforcement has been tracking the property for months. According to the city, a first notice of violation was sent in December 2025. The property was re-inspected and a second notice was sent by certified mail in March 2026. A third notice was mailed in April 2026, and another inspection in May found the violations still existed.
Code Enforcement told 23ABC News the case remains open. Officials said they have completed all required notifications to the property owner and have now moved into the abatement bid process.
However, Willer told 23ABC News by phone that he is not in town and has not received any correspondence from the city. He said if anyone from city code enforcement or any of the Cattle King Estates residents wanted to speak with him, he would be happy to take their call or email him at Jeremy@jeremywiller.com.
The city has moved forward and is currently seeking contractor estimates to remove the debris but says cleanup costs are expected to be substantial because of the size of the site.
If the city moves forward with the cleanup, Willer could be billed for the costs, and those costs could eventually become a lien against the property.
"We're just asking for representation and answers," Mood said.
Code Enforcement said management will review the abatement bids once they are received and determine the next steps for the property.
In the meantime, residents say they hope action comes before a fire or another problem makes the situation worse.
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