House catches fire after man tries smoking rodents out of shed
The exterior of an Ypsilanti Township home was damaged Friday by a fire started when a rodent smoke bomb got out of control, officials said.
The Ypsilanti Township Fire Department was called to a home 1104 Borgstrom Avenue at 5:01 p.m. for the fire, said Lt. Brad Johnson.
The 49-year-old man who lives at the single family home with his family already had the fire mostly out with a garden hose, Johnson said. Firefighters did use the garden hose to put out some hot spots, however. There were no injuries.
Johnson said the fire started in a shed directly next to the house where the 49-year-old had lit a smoke bomb — the kind that evicts rodents such as rats, moles and mice. The bomb ignited the shed and burned it to the ground.
“The shed burned without them knowing it,” Johnson said.
The fire spread to the exterior of the main house, but it did not spread inside and there was no interior damage. The family was not displaced.
John Counts covers cops and courts for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at johncounts@annarbor.com or you can follow him on Twitter.
Comments
nickcarraweigh
Sun, Apr 28, 2013 : 2:33 p.m.
I've never used a rodent smoke bomb myself, though Lord knows I've seen them offered next to the cash register often enough, but I wonder if they don't come with directions?
mady
Mon, Apr 29, 2013 : 2:30 p.m.
Directions? DIRECTIONS?! We don't need no stinkin' directions!! I just light de thing on fire and throw it in!
mr54
Sat, Apr 27, 2013 : 9:22 p.m.
All these smoking rodent one liners are pretty good!
AdmiralMoose
Sat, Apr 27, 2013 : 7:19 p.m.
I used to smoke rodents but I got tired of fighting to keep them on the rolling papers.
mady
Sat, Apr 27, 2013 : 6 p.m.
"when your shed's on fire, you must realize, smoke get in their eyes........"
Homeland Conspiracy
Sat, Apr 27, 2013 : 5:54 p.m.
These rodents need to understand that smoking is BAD Mmk
Gorc
Sat, Apr 27, 2013 : 2:18 p.m.
Fire bad....Chaka....Fire bad
ItsTheTruth
Sat, Apr 27, 2013 : 12:51 p.m.
oops
towncryer
Sat, Apr 27, 2013 : 12:15 p.m.
Great guys, now i have this urge to watch Caddyshack again.....oh well, it's suppose to rain this weekend..
Nicholas Urfe
Sat, Apr 27, 2013 : 12:56 p.m.
I don't think the heavy stuff's going to come down for quite a while.
Ron Burgandy
Sat, Apr 27, 2013 : 10:42 a.m.
"In the immortal words of Jean Paul Sartre, 'Au revoir, gopher'".
James
Sat, Apr 27, 2013 : 12:14 p.m.
I thought it was "au revoir, Simone de Bouvoir"...
Piledriver
Sat, Apr 27, 2013 : 10:36 a.m.
"License to kill gophers by the government of the United Nations. Man, free to kill gophers at will. To kill, you must know your enemy, and in this case my enemy is a varmint. And a varmint will never quit - ever. They're like the Viet Cong - Varmint Cong. So you have to fall back on superior intelligence and superior firepower. And that's all she wrote." - Carl Spackler Asst. Groundskeeper Bushwood Country Club
YpsiGreen
Sat, Apr 27, 2013 : 2:08 p.m.
Thank you for the morning chortle. :-)
James
Sat, Apr 27, 2013 : 12:20 p.m.
Mind if I play through?
doctrsnoop
Sat, Apr 27, 2013 : 4:20 a.m.
Rodents were later seen dancing to a Kenny loggins song.
leaguebus
Sat, Apr 27, 2013 : 3:40 a.m.
Rodents 1, homeowner 0.
bwp
Sat, Apr 27, 2013 : 2:54 a.m.
wwhhhat?
Tru2Blu76
Sat, Apr 27, 2013 : 12:55 a.m.
I once tried smoking rodents out in the shed - same results as this guy. I gave up smoking rodents after that. ;-) The U.S. Army Air Force (later renamed "U.S. Air Force") had a program which involved using bats carrying tiny fire bombs to use against Japanese buildings. The program was discontinued after one test resulted in the bats flying away from the intend "drop zone" - right into nearby barracks. It's alleged that this incident inspired the Scots poet Robert Burns to write: "The best laid schemes o' Mice an' Men, Gang aft agley, An' lea'e us nought but grief an' pain" Actually, flaming vermin have caused a number of house fires. It's documented that one flaming snake actually was responsible for a house fire.
arborani
Sat, Apr 27, 2013 : 9:01 p.m.
AND they cause cancer.
mady
Sat, Apr 27, 2013 : 3:25 p.m.
Yeah TB, i don't smoke rodents anymore either. too gamy:)
James
Sat, Apr 27, 2013 : 12:19 p.m.
I'll disregard the fact that Robert Burns and the Army Air Corps were not concurrent, and simply smoke another and re-read this because it is impossibly funny...
Ann English
Sat, Apr 27, 2013 : 12:04 a.m.
Springtime: when the moles, if not the mice and rats, come out of hibernation. When the insects come back and the bats that eat them.
A2M3
Fri, Apr 26, 2013 : 11:55 p.m.
I used to be two-sheds, but one burned to the ground. Darn rodent bombs!
An Arborigine
Sat, Apr 27, 2013 : 2:14 p.m.
Nice catch on Mr. Jackson!
James
Sat, Apr 27, 2013 : 12:09 p.m.
Terry Jones reference! Arthur "Two-Sheds"!