The Huffington Post | By Andy Campbell
They’ve gone completely nuts!
Squirrels in southwestern Florida are causing sparks to fly on electrical lines that ignite easily in the area’s dry conditions. One of the bucktoothed rodents caused
a fire that burned down a Buckingham pastor’s house.
A squirrel on Tuesday ran along a high-voltage line and jumped to another line, creating an arc of electricity that lit up a nearby brush. That fire spread and razed Sunshine Worship Center pastor Bob Calvert’s home, ABC 7 reported.
“My sister… I was on the phone with her. I told her everything was going to be okay, that house wasn’t going to burn and then the next thing we know, the fire did pick up and everything went up in flames,” Calvert’s son Dave told NBC 2.
Firefighters were on the scene within minutes, but couldn’t stop the blaze.
“I got here early this mor
ning by myself, and I just bawled, Dave Calvert said.
Squirrels were fingered for three other brush fires in the area in four days — though some stations reported that officials in Lee County are wary of blaming the rodents.
That said, a dead, burned squirrel was found near Calvert’s home.
Link to video: http://www.abc-7.com/global/category.asp?c=170963&autoStart=true&topVideoCatNo=default&clipId=6982190
Everybody thinks squirrels are cute and cuddly and maybe they are but they are also rodents. Their teeth grow just like that of a rodent and they need to be be trimmed or they cause serious problem for the squirrel. So anything in your attic that is not supposed to be there, shouldn’t. Call a Pest Management Professional like Beucher and Son or if you’re in AZ call ProBest Pest Management. Both will treat you fair and square and possibly protect you, your family and your home from something such as a fire.
This is terrible news. I personally feel sorry for the pastor and his family. Squirrels are not usually regarded as “pest” because they are furry and look huggable, but they can be – and dangerous pests at that, too – because ultimately, as the previous commenter stated, they are rodents too.