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Animal nest inside kitchen exhaust fan sparks apartment fire
UPI ^ | 10/22/25 | Ben Hooper

Posted on 10/23/2025 1:06:54 PM PDT by DallasBiff

Oct. 22 (UPI) -- Firefighters in Michigan are urging residents to beware of unexpected fire hazards after an apartment blaze was found to have an unusual cause: an animal nest inside a kitchen exhaust fan.

The Ann Arbor Fire Department said on social media that crews responded to an apartment building on Island Drive on Sunday and found a fire was burning inside the walls.

(Excerpt) Read more at upi.com ...


TOPICS: Chit/Chat
KEYWORDS: animals; apartment; fire; ratnest; rats

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Thank you very much and God bless you.

This should be an interesting insurance claim.

Wouldn't a tenant notice weird sounds from the exhaust fan and notified the landlord, and also one can't sue animals.

1 posted on 10/23/2025 1:06:54 PM PDT by DallasBiff
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To: DallasBiff

I’m betting either birds, or tree rats.


2 posted on 10/23/2025 1:10:26 PM PDT by EvilCapitalist (Pets are no substitute for children)
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To: EvilCapitalist

Mice


3 posted on 10/23/2025 1:23:10 PM PDT by Fai Mao ( I used to care, but things have changed ~ Bob Dylan)
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To: DallasBiff

Idiot renters should be inspecting their kitchen fan ducting on a regular basis.

What has happened to practical education in this country?


4 posted on 10/23/2025 1:30:25 PM PDT by BobL (Trusting one's doctor is the #1 health mistake one can make.)
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To: Fai Mao

Could be them too.


5 posted on 10/23/2025 1:30:32 PM PDT by EvilCapitalist (Pets are no substitute for children)
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To: BobL
Idiot renters should be inspecting their kitchen fan ducting on a regular basis.

What has happened to practical education in this country?

Just thought about this, wouldn't the tenants notice animal droppings, physical or by smell.

6 posted on 10/23/2025 1:36:55 PM PDT by DallasBiff (Apology not accepted.la is not the sharpest knife in the drawer)
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To: Fai Mao

I had a bat living in the kitchen ceiling. In the cavity of an old flouresent light that had been covered up. I removed the light to fill in the ceiling and left the hole open overnight.

The bat came in between the siding and the vent for the range exhaust vent.

I came down the next morning and it was hanging out in the family room. Literally hanging off the wall of the bookcase.
Just chillin


7 posted on 10/23/2025 1:37:13 PM PDT by woodbutcher1963
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To: DallasBiff

“Just thought about this, wouldn’t the tenants notice animal droppings, physical or by smell.”

I have no clue, I just like to act snobby at times, to mock the real snobs on this site.

In this case, the effect most likely noticed would be a reduction in performance due to the blockage, but one would have to see the details of the design and the blockage to see how it could have ignited. If I had to guess, most like a fire on the stove, which was contained, sent up the ignition source.


8 posted on 10/23/2025 1:40:22 PM PDT by BobL (Trusting one's doctor is the #1 health mistake one can make.)
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To: DallasBiff

From the article:
“...Over time, the nesting material and accumulated grease
heated up enough to ignite...”
-
It would still need a spark to cause it to ignite.


9 posted on 10/23/2025 2:07:56 PM PDT by Repeal The 17th (Get out of the matrix and get a real life.)
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To: DallasBiff
...wouldn't the tenants notice animal droppings, physical or by smell...

The droppings may have been contributing less than the tenant's smell.

10 posted on 10/23/2025 2:15:26 PM PDT by GingisK
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To: woodbutcher1963

Lol! What a way to start the day!


11 posted on 10/23/2025 2:59:54 PM PDT by skr (1 Peter 1:15 - But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation)
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To: DallasBiff

My outdoor air conditioner stopped working, and the technician found that mice had gotten inside and chewed the wires. Some wire insulation is made with soy oil; maybe that was the attraction.

I’ve heard that mice can get in your house and chew the wires on appliances like your stove, which can cause a house fire.

Cats are essential companions when you live near a wooded area.


12 posted on 10/23/2025 4:35:22 PM PDT by Albion Wilde (To live free is the greatest gift; to die free is the greatest victory. —Erica Kirk)
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To: Albion Wilde

“Cats are essential companions when you live near a wooded area.”

Right!
I’ll just go wake up my useless 16 lb. part Maine Coon Cat
and show him where I saw a mouse...

He catches them..sometimes.
He walks around with one in his mouth, then plays with
them until he gets bored, then let’s them go!

I think he and the mice are exchanging money under
the kitchen sink.

I can almost picture him and the mice punching a clock
at the end of their shift, like the coyote and the
sheep dog in the old Bugs Bunny cartoons!
“See ya tomorrow Ralph”


13 posted on 10/23/2025 7:26:58 PM PDT by MS.BEHAVIN (Women who behave rarely make history!)
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