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FRIDAY 13/08/2004 10:27
Rabbit causes £60,000 fire
A burning rabbit caused a £60,000 fire when it scampered into a cricket club shed.
The bunny was hiding in a stack of branches which were about to be turned into a bonfire at Devizes Cricket Club in Wiltshire.
Moments after the stack was doused in paraffin by groundsmen and set alight the startled animal ran from the bonfire with its tail alight.
Regrettably for the 150-year-old cricket club, this particular rabbit was determined to go down in a blaze of glory.
It dashed into the groundsmen`s shed some five metres away.
The two men saw the rabbit run off - but not where it went. Half-an-hour later the shed was on fire.
Eleven firefighters were unable to save the 12-metre long building or the equipment inside and the blaze caused damage estimated at £60,000.
A fine turf mower, a large diesel mower, wheelbarrows, brushes and other implements used for the upkeep of the cricket club were all destroyed.
There was no sign of the rabbit`s remains afterwards, suggesting it might have escaped through a hole a corner of the shed.
Devizes fire station commander Philip Flowers, 41, said that in his 22 years` service he had never fought a blaze caused by an burning animal.
He said: "We`re 99% confident it was the rabbit that caused the fire.
"It was either burnt to a cinder or it escaped through a small hole in the corner of the shed, but I imagine it perished and went to bunny heaven."
Mr Flowers said the two groundsmen who set the bonfire saw the rabbit run off with its tail on fire.
"A short time later they noticed the shed was smoking," he said.
"They went to get hoses to put out the fire but by the time they got back the fire had really taken hold.
"They managed to salvage a couple of hand-push mowers but the rest of the equipment went up."
The fire commander said "extreme vigilance" was now being taken with all rabbits in his jurisdiction.
"We now know that even bunnies can create a lot of problems," he added.
The cricket club is appealing for donations to tide it over until the insurance money comes through.
Rabbit causes £60,000 fire
A burning rabbit caused a £60,000 fire when it scampered into a cricket club shed.
The bunny was hiding in a stack of branches which were about to be turned into a bonfire at Devizes Cricket Club in Wiltshire.
Moments after the stack was doused in paraffin by groundsmen and set alight the startled animal ran from the bonfire with its tail alight.
Regrettably for the 150-year-old cricket club, this particular rabbit was determined to go down in a blaze of glory.
It dashed into the groundsmen`s shed some five metres away.
The two men saw the rabbit run off - but not where it went. Half-an-hour later the shed was on fire.
Eleven firefighters were unable to save the 12-metre long building or the equipment inside and the blaze caused damage estimated at £60,000.
A fine turf mower, a large diesel mower, wheelbarrows, brushes and other implements used for the upkeep of the cricket club were all destroyed.
There was no sign of the rabbit`s remains afterwards, suggesting it might have escaped through a hole a corner of the shed.
Devizes fire station commander Philip Flowers, 41, said that in his 22 years` service he had never fought a blaze caused by an burning animal.
He said: "We`re 99% confident it was the rabbit that caused the fire.
"It was either burnt to a cinder or it escaped through a small hole in the corner of the shed, but I imagine it perished and went to bunny heaven."
Mr Flowers said the two groundsmen who set the bonfire saw the rabbit run off with its tail on fire.
"A short time later they noticed the shed was smoking," he said.
"They went to get hoses to put out the fire but by the time they got back the fire had really taken hold.
"They managed to salvage a couple of hand-push mowers but the rest of the equipment went up."
The fire commander said "extreme vigilance" was now being taken with all rabbits in his jurisdiction.
"We now know that even bunnies can create a lot of problems," he added.
The cricket club is appealing for donations to tide it over until the insurance money comes through.
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