Squirrel fires regular occurrence in Canadian border town (Terrorist Suicide Squrrel Alert)

The Seattle Times ^ | Tuesday, July 19, 2005 | AP

[Cowman]

Squirrel fires regular occurrence in Canadian border town

OSOYOOS, British Columbia — Once again, a squirrel clambering onto a power line has been blamed for a brush fire in this border town north of Oroville, Wash.

Firefighters were summoned Monday after a squirrel scrambled up a Fortis Inc. utility pole, got zapped and landed in flames on some dry brush outside a fruit packing business, Fire Chief Ross Driver said.

By the time a pumper truck and a bush truck arrived, nearby residents had doused the flames.

"This identical incident has happened on the same pole one or two times a year for the past several years," Driver said.

Each time, firefighters find a dead, burned squirrel at the base of the utility pole, he said.

Driver said he didn't know what Fortis could do to prevent future squirrel-caused fires.

Copyright © 2005 The Seattle Times Company

[Billthedrill]

Cops are sometimes accused of having a "drop gun" with them; that is, if they screw up and shoot some unarmed unfortunate they drop an untraceable gun near the body and claim he was armed.

And when power techs screw up... Yep. Drop squirrel.

[patton]

in the 33rd degree masonic lodge in Washington, DC, there is a museum tribute to Burl Ives - you can listen to his music there, while surrounded by original momentos like the "frosty" used to model the snowman.

My 4-yo daughter loved it. She refused to leave!

[The Red Zone]

Or a squirrel-catching wire basket?

[TXBSAFH]

I hate these arboreal rodents.