Chicago family forced to leave West Side home due to rat infestation

CHICAGO - Cell phone video shows an Austin woman’s children screaming and terrified after a brazen rat runs from her stove into a bedroom.

The mother of four, who doesn’t want to be identified, lives in the 300 block of North Pine. 

She has captured multiple videos of rats invading her kitchen and living room.

"I’m packing my stuff. I can’t live like that, that’s not a living situation, rats carry a lot of germs," the woman said.

Keyth Dickerson of Intense Pest control says although steel wool was used to fill rat holes inside the unit, the creatures keep digging new holes. 

Dickerson says the focus should be closing exterior openings.

Streets and Sanitation says rat complaints citywide have increased since the onset of the pandemic, and rodent abatement remains a top priority.

Austin resident Ashunda Harris has baited inside and outside her home, but once again, rats keep digging their way back inside.

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"They’re eating through my foundation now. It started with a demo project next door where they were nesting," said Harris.

Streets and Sanitation says crews baited the property at 300 N. Pine last month after rat complaints, but it’s up to the property owner to address how the rats are entering the building. 

FOX 32’s calls to the landlord have gone unreturned. 

The Department of Buildings has scheduled an inspection for Saturday.