Rodents take over home while family flees wildfires

Chelsea Trillrelocated with her family and animalsto Abbotsfordin early July, where they spent about 45 days with family friends.

Trill explained toRadio Westhost Sarah Penton that when she recently opened the door to her house,she originally thoughtsquatters had moved in while her family was away.

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"I thought someone had broken in and trashed the place when we were gone," explained Trill.

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She says toys were moved, food and bedding chewed, and there were rodent droppings and urine everywhere.

Trill says she dealt with pack rats, a type of rat that is native to Canada, at the beginning of the gardening season. The rodents would eat her small plants if she left them outside overnight.

Unfortunately, when the dogs and cats left with the family, the home was left unprotected and the pack rats moved in.

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The Red Crossprovidedthe family with a large amount of cleaning supplies.

Trill says that since they live minimally she guesses the net losses are around $500.

With files from Radio West.