Flower Fire Causes $20,000 In Damage
A fire that did $20,000 in damages to a northeast Arkansas home wasn’t caused by an electrical problem or burning food or arson. An insurance investigator concluded dead plants caused the blaze at Brian Duncan’s home. A letter from State Farm said: “The fire was caused by self-heating through decomposition or organic materials contained within a plastic flowerpot.” Translation: spontaneous combustion. A fire marshal said such an occurrence was rare, but believable.
One Hot Golfer
Officials say a golfer’s off-target swing sparked a 12-acre blaze in Southern California. The golfer at the Shady Canyon Golf Course in Irvine landed a shot in the rough Saturday. On his next swing, his club snagged a rock, causing a spark that started a fire and eventually attracted 150 firefighters to the scene. Fire officials say the fire burned through the rough, into vegetation next to the course and over two dry, brushy hillsides. No charges were filed against the golfer.
Men Survive Driving Under A Semi
A South Dakota sheriff said two Minnesota men are lucky to be alive after they drove underneath a stalled semi truck towing a flatbed. Potter County Sheriff Alan McClain said he’s amazed the men were not decapitated. The crash happened about five miles west of Gettysburg on U.S. Highway 212, about 6:15 a.m. Saturday, when it was still dark. The semi had missed its turn and attempted a U-turn. The tractor wheels went off the road and the semi got stuck. A pickup truck carrying Shane Hanson and Chad Fobbe came down the highway and went under the trailer. Both men walked away from the incident. They were treated at a hospital and released the same day.
Bad Cigarette Toss Destroys Car
Police in New Jersey said a woman’s car was engulfed in flames when she tried and failed to flick a still-burning cigarette out her window. South Brunswick police said the 19-year-old woman was driving Monday morning when the inside of her 1998 Honda Civic was ignited by the cigarette. The woman was able to escape the vehicle without injury but the car was destroyed. The fire was put out by the fire department.
Bike Stolen During Arrest
Police in Santa Cruz, California, said a teenager’s bike was stolen while he was being arrested for allegedly trying to sell a stolen violin. When a pair of 17-year-olds allegedly tried to sell the violin, which was reported stolen in a car burglary last Thursday, at a Mission Street music store on Friday, employees called police. The boys left their bikes outside and one bike was stolen while the teens were being arrested on suspicion of possessing stolen property. Investigators said the violin was returned to its owner. The stolen bike was not located.
Man Glad $20,000 Bid Fails Short For Blago’s Elvis
An Orland Park, Illinois, man who bid $20,000 for ex-Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s Elvis statue said he was relieved to lose when he found an identical statue for $550. J.R. Bramlett, 67, said he bid $20,000 for the statue in the August 19th auction in Arlington Heights, which was held after Blagojevich’s campaign organization failed to pay back rent on a storage space, but he was outbid by $500. Bramlett said he was relieved to lose when he discovered he could buy an identical statue for $550 from a Texas seller and similar statues with different poses for the same price.
‘Bed Intruder’ Song Gaining Fame
A man’s angry, head-shaking TV interview about an attempted rape against his younger sister in her bed has turned into a chart-topping iTunes song and YouTube hit, making the 24-year-old Alabama college student an Internet sensation. The refrain to Antoine Dodson’s song goes: “So y’all need to hide your kids, hide your wife and hide your husband, ‘cause they raping everybody out here.” Dodson plans to use the money from the “Bed Intruder Song,” which is selling for $1.29 per download, to move his family out of the Lincoln Park housing project where the attack happened. You can check out Dodson’s video on iTunes or at www.youtube.com/antoinedodson24.
Hiker Accidentally Shoots Self In Buttocks
Police in Wenatchee, Washington, say a hiker on Blewett Pass shot himself in the butt when he put a handgun in his back pocket. Officials said the 52-year-old man had moved his .40-caliber handgun from its holster and put it in his back pocket Saturday to see if it would be more comfortable. The gun went off and the bullet flew down his left butt cheek and leg, coming to rest just above the knee. He was treated at a local hospital and released.
Man Nabs Roaming Goat With Facebook Following
A wandering Missouri goat whose exploits have been chronicled on a popular Facebook page has been captured. Mervin Beechy noticed the goat yesterday afternoon while he was driving around the eastern Missouri town of Mexico. Beechy said he only had to chase the goat on horseback for about a quarter-mile before roping him. The goat had been eluding capture since August 21st. Animal control officers had been calling him Billy Goat Gruff. The Facebook fan page that someone started for the goat has more than 8,000 fans. A post yesterday, written from the goat’s perspective, says he’s been kept out of traffic until he can “bust back out” or “figure out what’s next.”
