Ha, you think was accident!
Posted on 06/11/2002 11:47:49 AM PDT by Willie Green
For education and discussion only. Not for commercial use.
An unlucky rodent was behind the Lincoln County wildfire that forced more than 300 Pioche residents to evacuate their homes over the weekend.
Investigators Monday found a scorched squirrel near a power line that had shorted out on the outskirts of Pioche, where the fire started Saturday afternoon.
"The squirrel fell on the power line. Apparently they found his little body near the point of origin," said Vicki Stevens, acting assistant Nevada fire marshal. "They're not sure how he got up there."
Fire officials speculated a bird could have dropped the animal on the line, or perhaps the rodent lost its balance, causing the line to short and nearby brush to catch fire.
About half of the town's residents were evacuated from their homes Saturday after winds of up to 60 mph pushed the fire around three sides of Pioche. Residents went to a local park and returned to their homes Sunday morning as winds died down and firefighters gained control of the blaze.
"It burned in some areas within 50 to 100 yards of homes," said Chris Hanefeld, a Bureau of Land Management spokesman.
The fire was 70 percent contained Monday, and authorities said they expected total containment at 6 p.m. today. Monday's low temperatures and light winds slowed the fire's growth, Hanefeld said.
The fire consumed about 940 acres of mostly pinion-juniper and sagebrush and destroyed 10 abandoned buildings and one unoccupied trailer. No one was injured.
BLM officials initially reported a damage area of more than 1,500 acres, but as the fire subsided Monday, officials realized the area was smaller. "When they're burning sometimes they look bigger than they really are," Hanefeld said.
Sunday night, 348 firefighters worked on the blaze, but the BLM on Monday morning sent 70 firefighters home.
About 200 firefighters from several Nevada agencies, including Clark County Fire Department, remained to put out hot spots.
Officials said the incident is not the first time an animal has been at the root of a wildfire. Lizards started the 1997 Autumn Hill fire in Douglas County when two boys dipped the reptiles in lighter fluid and set them on fire.
Pioche residents said Monday they were skeptical that a "flying squirrel" started the fire.
Judith Joseph, owner of Grub Steak Dinner House on Main Street, said she had heard several rumors about what caused the fire. "Well in Pioche, unless you see it, don't believe it."
How lame!!!
I'll bet Bullwinkle will miss his little buddy. Rocky must have misjudged his landing.
Carolyn
You'd be amazed by how many electric utility outages/fires are caused by squirrels, cats, snakes, and rats getting into switch cabinets, overhead lines, and substations. No amount of critter-proofing is 100%.
We humans think we're so damned smart, but critters always seem to find a way around our gadgets and gizmoes.
Our little furry friends are usually big enough to touch two wires at once (for a very short and smokey time).
I see squirrels on power lines all the time around here. It's a veritable squirrel super highway. The problems come when they get stupid and try to chew on something they shouldn't have. I think it's really just curiosity on their part, but it's fatal. Maybe some kinds of wire taste good?
Ha, you think was accident!
Same principle applies if you're trapped in a car with a downed power line (still energized)laying on it. As long as you stay in the car, the rubber tires keep the circuit from being completed--you won't be electrocuted. If you step out of the car and have one foot on the ground and one still touching the car, you will be electrocuted (circuit gets completed). If you jump out and completely away from the car, landing with both feet simultaneously (i.e. never touching car or ground at the same time)you won't be electrocuted.
Carbon-black, now.
Also, if it were not for global warming the poor squirrell would have had enough nuts saved up and wouldn't need to be on the power lines scrounging for food.
Not to mention the plight of homeless squirrels without national health insurance.
It worked for Clinton and gave him a legacy that will live on in sex ed. classes for generations untold.
They do though. One raven, about 5' wingspan, fried himself just outside our building a few years ago. Really did a number on the power grid; it was down for a couple of hours.
Jackrabbits are better. They can cover more ground in a shorter time.
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