A scared homeowner took to Reddit for advice on how to deal with their unruly neighbor, who burned trash constantly and had a hostile attitude.
The homeowner moved into their house only three weeks before the Reddit post. They described a nightmare scenario, explaining how their not-so-friendly neighbor had been "burning trash and other debris in his backyard all throughout the day and night."
They expressed concern over their health and safety, saying: "I can smell strong smoke in my house and sometimes see huge flames over the fence. It's hurting my breathing and I'm scared he will burn both our houses down."
The OP was right to be stressed out about this. The neighbor created a practically unlivable situation for the new resident. Race to Zero reported on the horrible health effects of burning trash. Inhaling the fumes from burning trash can cause lung and heart disease, cancer, infertility, pregnancy complications, and more problems.
According to the U.S. Fire Administration, 5.6% of house fires between 2017 and 2019 were caused by burning trash. These fires can lead to property damage, property loss, injuries, and death, so it's a serious issue.
Beyond the health and property concerns, burning trash causes excessive pollution. Race to Zero reports that trash burning accounts for 11% of global black carbon emissions. And 26% of those emissions are from residential waste burning. The neighbor's behavior contributed to significant air pollution.
Redditors commented on the thread, encouraging the OP to take action. The OP was nervous, as their neighbor seemed already aggravated and aggressive. Nevertheless, people told the OP to call the authorities to stop the blatant disregard for health, safety, and the environment.
"You have to call the fire department," one person explained. "It's a health hazard, it could cause a larger fire."
Another commenter made a good point, saying, "If you don't do anything, he will still act bad so calling the fire dept at least gets the fire out of your face."
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People agreed that it was wiser for the OP to make the call than to continue in the polluted environment. Alerting authorities could save all the neighbors and the planet from this harmful behavior.
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