Chief: Squirrels Caused Fires At Home
Dropped Power Lines Set House Ablaze
POSTED: 9:27 am CDT June 21, 2007
UPDATED: 8:00 am CDT June 22, 2007
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BLUE ISLAND, Ill. -- A Blue Island home caught fire for the second time in eight days when squirrels knocked high-voltage wires loose from a nearby utility pole.
Video: Squirrels Blamed For Fires
Homeowner Alan Turcott's said he thinks his three-story house is a total loss.
"It's like a battlefield around here," Turcott said as he pointed to his plywood-patched home. "It's just a big nightmare."
Two scorched squirrels were found after the fires, confirming the critter cause, according to Blue Island Fire Chief Robert Copp. It appears they transferred power from one line to the next as they bounced across the wires June 9 and 17, the chief said.
"This is unbelievable," Copp said. "I've seen where squirrels have shorted things out or blown a fuse, but nothing like this before."
But Turcott isn't so quick to point the finger at his furry neighbors. The lines should be able to handle squirrel traffic, he said.
"If (ComEd) would have maintained and repaired (the wires) properly, the fires wouldn't have started," he said.
