Crime & Safety
Flaming Squirrel Starts Brush Fire in Wentzville
The fire was contained to an approximately 50 ft. by 50 ft. area.
Wentzville's extended drought and the upcoming holiday has a lot of people worried about the possibility of fires from errant sparks. But a brush fire in a Wentzville subdivision Sunday night was not caused by fireworks.
It was caused by a squirrel.
Wentzville Fire Captain John LeDoux told Patch that the fire on Lost Canyon Drive in the Stone Ridge Canyon subdivision was the result of a squirrel shorting out a fuse on a power line.
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The squirrel caught fire and fell to the ground, starting a brush fire. The fire was reported at 8:55 p.m., and fire crews were able to extinguish it quickly.
"We were relatively lucky," said LeDoux. "The fire had to burn downhill, which fire doesn't like to do."
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The squirrel, which was found at the base of the power pole, was not so lucky.
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