Irvine man thanks neighbors for helping remove rats from his condemned home

A Marine veteran who lost both of his legs to an illness thanked his community for helping his family exterminate the rats that forced him out of his Irvine home. 

"It makes me feel like there are kind people still in the world," Marine veteran Tom Steen said. "And all of what's going on in this world right now, to see that and know that people care, it helps me get over how I feel about myself and all of this."

Earlier this month, neighbors on Typee Way reached out to CBS LA after rats from Steen's home spilled out into the streets and into their homes and yards. Some of them said their cars had been damaged after the rodents chewed through wires. Steen, his wife and his mother-in-law were hospitalized at the end of October. 

A pest control expert was allowed inside the home and said the rats had burrowed into nearly every part of it and weren't afraid of humans. The infestation forced the city to condemn the house. 

"We're going to lose everything in the house," Steen said. "It's destroyed."

Steen said the whole ordeal was embarrassing and that he regrets not addressing the infestation. He explained that his 94-year-old mother-in-law owns the home and that the family did not have enough for repairs. 

"I'm not proud of it, you know," Steen said. "I'm not at all. If I could go back, I would have started earlier. That was my mistake. 

He added that the city of Irvine has helped remove the rats and neighbors have stepped up to support his family with an online fundraiser. 

"From the news story, we had a very generous offer, and they're planning to help," neighbor Elaine Duncan said. "A company, Rodent Stop, they are going to do phase two, where they're going to come in and clean out the interior of the home. We're very grateful, the family, the neighborhood, very blessed and grateful."

Steen, his wife and mother-in-law don't want to be separated. They are looking for a permanent place to live.