Watch CBS News

Caught on camera: Blow-up over BBQ smoke goes viral

A St. Petersburg, Florida homeowner called county officials to complain about the smell rising from her neighbor's barbecue grill.
Barbecue smell sparks feud between neighbors 00:59

PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. - Every time Christopher Matt and his brother Dewayne fire up their backyard barbecue, their neighbor gets fired up too.

The brothers say their neighbor complains every time they barbecue, going so far as to calling the police, fire department, code enforcement and most recently, the Pinellas County Air Quality Environmental Manager, reports CBS affiliate WTSP.

"Barbecue so good, it'll make you call the police," jokes Christopher Matt.

Now a video of a confrontation between Christopher Matt and the county environmentalist over the smell and smoke coming from his backyard has gone viral.

The video, viewed on YouTube over a million times, shows the environmentalist standing in the Matts' driveway. He tells the grillers he's there about the smoke and the barbecue odor coming from their backyard, and that the smell and smoke must be contained on their property.

"Smoke goes up and it goes everywhere, wherever the wind blows. You can't control that," said Christopher Matt.

WTSP reports that Pinellas County has also responded to the grillers. They say there have been 15 smoke and odor complaints related to the Matts' house since September 2014.

According to the Matts, their grill is one typically found in backyards. Dewayne Matt also said they aren't smoking out any neighbors and the only one neighbor is the source of the repeated complaints.

Pinellas County says it is not illegal to barbecue in a person's backyard, but point to the outdoor air quality ordinance.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.