Car-flagration
1:43 PM PDT, October 19, 2007, updated at 4:18 PM PDT, October 19, 2007
Taking a break momentarily from my own Car Lusting, I wanted to give a brief nod to the New Jersey-area squirrel that destroyed a 2006 Toyota Camry.
According to the news story, a squirrel had been chewing on a power line suspended above the Camry; when the squirrel chewed through the line, the power of the current lit it on fire, and the flaming rodent "slid into the engine compartment and blew up the car." The car was a total loss, but the family honored the squirrel flambe with a plastic tombstone--happily, just in time for Halloween. This leaves some important questions unanswered. For example: 1. Is there some significance that the squirrel chose a 2006 Toyota Camry to immolate? Was the squirrel imbued with especially strong buy-American leanings? If so, the squirrel should issue a strong apology to the good people in Georgetown, Ky., who make the Camry. 2. How exactly did the flaming squirrel slide into the engine compartment? Was the hood open? Otherwise, I don't want to think about how a half-immolated squirrel might get into the engine compartment. 3. If one squirrel chews on power lines, I'm guessing more do. And if millions of squirrels nationwide are chewing on power lines, I'm guessing this isn't the only one to chew through and light itself on fire. Is there a national crisis in which flaming squirrels are plummeting from our skies? If so, it's being dramatically underreported by the media. I, for one, am worried. --Chris H.
Initial post:
Oct 20, 2007 12:52 PM PDT
S. Nelson says:
Unfortunately, squirrels and high voltage have a long and unhappy history. Usually it involves said tree rat crawling into the gizzards of a substation and completing a circuit, resulting in flash-fried squirrel and an extended power outage for the area. I'm also personally aware of a squirrel that sparked a house fire by getting into the attic and gnawing thru some wiring. Cars are a little more unusual. I'm guessing that the flaming squirrel bounced or ran under the car and then tried to climb up inside in a panic. They will do this when panicked but not flaming, just like cats will. A buddy of mine in high school whose dad owned a gas station used to make a fair amount of money cleaning off the results when a cat / squirrel was in the engine when it started and got caught in fan / belts / etc.
Posted on
Oct 20, 2007 1:50 PM PDT
Patrick M. Berry says:
"How exactly did the flaming squirrel slide into the engine compartment?" Clearly, this is a job for the Mythbusters.
Flaming Squirrel would be an AWESOME name for a rock band.
Posted on
Oct 20, 2007 2:03 PM PDT
R. Allen says:
There were some jerks in Arizona stealing explosives from the mine where they worked. They would amuse themselves by snaring rabbits and taping the Tovex and a fuse to them then turning them loose; whereupon the rabbits would dart back into their burrows and BOOM.
Well one morning the rabbit ran down the road to the punks parked truck and hid in the engine compartment. Karma man.
Posted on
Oct 20, 2007 3:59 PM PDT
Alex Stevenson says:
A few years ago a squirrel did the same thing at my house-- the only difference being that it fell into my heavily forested backyard and set it on fire instead of my car.
Posted on
Oct 20, 2007 10:25 PM PDT
James D. Ivers says:
There is also a problem with snakes getting into sub-stations and wrapping themselves around various wires and circuits in the 'gizzards' and frying both themselves and the substations. Varmints don't really understand the workings of electricity yet. I blame the slowness of evolution, myself.
Posted on
Oct 21, 2007 4:43 AM PDT
Mary Bertke says:
3. Yes, more squirrels are chewing through power lines. Not all of the squirrels catch on fire - at least, their flaming carcasses don't have such a dramatic effect, usually. However, they are one of the top causes of non-weather-related power outages.
In reply to an earlier post on
Oct 22, 2007 3:10 PM PDT
Last edited by the author on Oct 22, 2007 3:10 PM PDT
Benjamin Ritcey says:
"There were some jerks in Arizona stealing explosives..."
I call shenanigans: http://www.snopes.com/critters/cruelty/dy
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About this blog
Yes, Amazon.com has an Auto Parts store--and now we have a blog, too. For the most part, though, this blog won't be about parts--it'll be about cars, and frankly I think you should know what you're dealing with.
This isn't a car news or review blog; there are plenty of those out there already that do a good job. I'm also going to make no pretense of fairness, objectivity, or expertise. This is simply a place for me to share my love (and disgust) of some cars with you. I'll admit up-front that some of my tastes are, um, quirky. But, whether you agree or disagree, I'm eager to hear from you. You see, I have a horrible sickness, a plague that has cost me huge sums of money and time - an addiction that has only intensified as I have fed my need. That sickness is a lifelong love of all things automotive that has hopelessly distorted my whole life - from a room full of thousands of car magazines at home, to boxes of old Matchbox cars, to haphazardly built models of cars with glue smeared on the windshield, to a parade of worthless cars I've owned and loved. I'm a hopeless addict. Come join me in my addiction. --Chris H. |
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