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Agoura Hills is located about 30 miles from downtown Los Angeles. Agoura Hills has about 21,000 residents and is located next to Calabasas. The city features great restaurants, shops, recreational opportunities, and other venues enjoyed by residents and visitors alike. There are situations in the city in which restaurants, other businesses, and residences end up with rat infestation and associated dangerous rat droppings.
Popular Agoura Hills Bistro Closed After Major Citation for Rodent Infestation
Lal Mirch Indian Restaurant, a popular bistro in Agoura Hills, gets high marks in reviews written by its patrons. By almost all accounts, the menu at Lal Mirch is fantastic. With that said, this year Lal Mirch failed an important review, failed what really was the most important evaluation of all.
The Los Angeles Public Health Department shut the doors to the restaurant for a major health code violation in the form of rodent infestation. The restaurant underwent an appropriate biohazard cleanup to eliminate dangerous rodent droppings. When that process was completed, the Health Department permitted the bistro to reopen.
In fairness to Lal Mirch, as of this writing, the restaurant has had no additional citations from the Health Department. On a broader note, restaurants in Agoura Hills have an overall solid track record when it comes to health code violations. The citation rate in the city is low when contrasted against many other communities in the county.
In most cases when a restaurant is closed for a major health code violation the first time, it usually reopens in a fairly short period of time. If a restaurant continues to have major health code violations, including rat droppings, the Health Department ultimately has the authority to shutter an establishment permanently. In the case of Lal Mirch, the Health Department closed the establishment for less than three days.
The matter of Lal Mirch underscores that misconceptions exist when it comes to rodent infestation and rat droppings. A primary misconception is that these types of issues arise only at “seedy” or unkempt establishments. While this can be true, it is only part of the story.
The reality is that a rat infestation, complete with dangerous rat droppings, can arise at any restaurant. A problem of this nature can arise in no time at all and without any sort of warning. And, the potential exists for rat droppings contaminated with dangerous and potentially fatal pathogens.
Another misconception about rodent infestation and rat droppings involves residential properties. The reality is that any residential property can end up with a rodent problem and associated contamination by rat droppings.
Where the Rats Are: Infestation Beyond Restaurants
A popular song in the early 1960s was Where the Boys Are, sung by Connie Francis and from a movie of the same name. According to the song, the boys are on the opposite coast and in Fort Lauderdale. The cannot be said of rats. They are everywhere and can end up in an Agoura Hills home.
A newly-wed couple built their own home in Agoura Hills. Construction was nearly done just before the wedding, the couple planning on moving into the residence when they returned home from their honeymoon.
When the newlyweds made it back to Agoura Hills, they began their move into their new home. On their first trip to the home, the couple was alarmed to find rat droppings in the basement. They didn’t think it was possible for a brand new home to have an issue with rodents.
The rats likely initially made it into the home at the tail end of the construction project. Even the most diligent of contractors and subcontractors must leave doors open during the final stage of the construction process. Even in new construction, rats can end up infesting garages, basements, crawl spaces, attics, and between walls.
The Dangers of Rats and Rat Droppings
The newlywed couple put cleaning the basement and calling an exterminator on their list of things to do. In talking to the contractor, they did mention the issue with the rat droppings. The contractor recommended an exterminator. He also put the brakes on the couple cleaning up the rat droppings in the basement on their own.
He explained the possibility that the rat droppings could contain dangerous viruses, like the hantavirus. These are pathogens that can cause serious and even fatal diseases. Homeowners who attempt rat droppings cleanup on their own run the risk of infecting themselves with a harmful virus.
A person exposed to rat droppings who lacks a primary care physician can obtain testing to rule out infection through the Agoura Hills Public Health Department service area. Information on scheduling an appointment can be made by calling (213) 240-8251.
