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At the Popeyes restaurant on Pennsylvania Avenue, there are flies on the floor, piled up in the corners. There are flies on the windowsills and scattered about. The restaurant shut down about a month ago, and the property was left to rot.

"I don't know if the flies suffocated or what, but it's like over a million flies in there," said a local resident.

There's also a stench. The foul smell is either coming from inside the building, or outside where garbage is overflowing, or from a combination of both. It's an odor that can be smelled from about a block away.

"The smell out here is horrendous," said a passer-by. "It's a health hazard. This is really a health hazard."

The restaurant got an "A" rating from the city when it was operating. Now it has a padlock on its front door. Company representatives at the Popeyes corporate office say this location was run by an independent franchise owner who went bankrupt. The health department says it's investigating and will issue citations if necessary.

Meantime, residents say it's hard to believe this popular spot went out of business.

"I found out because my sister told me about it," a nearby resident said. "And we were really mad because we used to eat here and the food used to be good."

"One day I came pulling up to get something to eat," said another resident, "and I got to the front door and I saw the big silver chain on it, and said, 'What's going on?"

Popeyes corporate office issued this statement saying: "You can be assured that we take this matter seriously and are cooperating and working diligently with appropriate individuals to resolve the complaints."

NY1 found the cleaning crew that says it's taking on the daunting task of getting the place sanitary again. They wouldn't say who hired them, but told NY1 that they start work on Saturday and should have it all cleaned up by Tuesday.

And Popeyes corporate officials say they expect this location to re-open in the near future under new management.