OK my thoughts.
I have never seen an inspector actually open anything up and look, and while it is debatable if this is compliant you have significantly reduced the fire risk, which is the purpose. If someone would question it I think the pictures would be the only argument needed. I would question the inspector as to why it was allowed to get in that shape in the first place.
We often do go in with the idea of just making it manageable for the next cleaning if it is really bad to begin with. The alternative is to charge so much that they get someone else who may just skim over it, take the money and run, leaving essentially the same hazard they started with.
my two cents