New Bedford neighborhood overrun by rats after facility fire

Local News

A fire at a nearby waste facility sent rats fleeing into city streets, sparking health concerns and outrage.

It’s like a scene straight out of an apocalyptic horror film — rats, both dead and scurrying, blanket Shawmut Avenue in New Bedford, a video shared online shows. 

Officials believe the full-blown rodent infestation stems from a fire that broke out at a nearby trash and recycling plant. 

Now, residents are sounding the alarm. 

“It is alarming to see the number of rats that we’ve seen in pictures and videos,” said Shawn Oliver, Ward 3, New Bedford City Councilor, who represents the district near the outbreak, and said the infestation is still not contained. 

“There is no silver bullet for this matter,” Oliver said. 

In a Facebook statement, the city of New Bedford said it is taking corrective measures as the Health Department evaluates the issue. 

The city stated that it is requiring E.L. Harvey Waste & Recycling Services, which operates the transfer station, to set out bait stations and snap traps, disinfect the area, collect all remaining rats, and cover the costs of remediation. 

At the city’s request, the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection is investigating how the rats escaped Harvey’s facility. Violations of state law can carry potential civil and criminal penalties. The city stated that it will impose fines for violations of the city code. 

The city’s animal control office has already removed a “significant number of dead rats” from Shawmut Avenue, the post said. 

Oliver said that a fire at Harvey last week may have triggered the infestations, along with rain and work at the facility. The cleanup of the site likely displaced the rats, who are now seeking new shelter and food sources. 

In response, E.L. Harvey, in a statement, said, “We understand that residents within a half mile of the facility have observed an increase in rodent activity. We want the public to know we hear you, and we have been taking immediate action.” 

Harvey said it is implementing a comprehensive rodent abatement strategy on its property and nearby areas, conducting daily inspections and installing additional traps. 

However, Oliver insists the city must do more.

Oliver urged the city to address the issue in a letter sent out on Tuesday morning, in which he called for an official public action plan, increased inspections, community outreach, and support. 

Although it is an industrial area near the facility, residential neighborhoods are also nearby, including some that are part of the New Bedford Housing Authority. The properties are highly populated and have dumpsters that are inviting to the rats. 

Oliver himself lives nearby. Although he hasn’t seen rats on his property, a neighbor sent a video of two vermin on her back porch. 

He’s hearing from residents who are 25 blocks away from the facility. 

“It is alarming,” Oliver said. “We are going to be talking about this situation for some time to come.” 

Oliver admits that the trash business is “not a pretty business,” and it will inevitably involve mice and rats. However, “the most alarming thing is the magnitude we are dealing with,” he said. 

Residents told Boston 25 News that they’ve been dodging rodents like potholes. 

One resident said, “I killed four rats yesterday.” He continued, “three, four rats every day, every day. It’s big ones, not small ones.”

Another resident told the New Bedford Light, “There were so many on the sidewalks and on the grass. There were live rats running across the street to eat dead rats.”