FOUNTAIN, Colo. (CBS4) – High winds are to blame for a shockingly large amount of tumbleweeds that have blown into a neighborhood south of Colorado Springs.

The tumbleweeds piled up in front of homes in a new development in the town of Fountain, and the piles that covered the road and cars were are as high as 10 feet in some places.

Residents say the tumbleweeds blew in in an instant, and that the winds that brought them in were so strong it felt like a tornado.

The tumbleweeds climbed up the sides of some homes and the bundles of branches blocked driveways, sidewalks and windows.

“My wife got home from work and said she couldn’t get in the garage and I got home shortly after her to find all the tumbleweeds,” said Ben, a homeowner in the neighborhood. He said their house has been invaded by tumbleweeds other times but their’s is usually the only one.

This week’s situation is much different, he said.

Neighbors are now working to clean up the mess. They say representatives from El Paso County and their HOA have told them they won’t help with the cleanup.

“Everybody we’ve called has said it’s up to us. We have to pay to get them removed. We have to deal with it,” said resident Melissa Walker. “Our property, our mess.”

PHOTO GALLERY: Images Of The Tumbleweed Invasion

On Tuesday one resident was blindly bulldozing a path through the branches in his pickup truck. Others were out with snow shovels and brooms.

Most of the tumbleweeds now sit across the street from many of the homes in a rectangular area that’s almost as big as a football field. If a new wind event were to move in, the tumbleweeds would likely just create a big mess in the neighborhood all over again.

Tumbleweeds pose a fire hazard in dry conditions.

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