By Diane Rothschild
A family’s attempt to clean up their toilet-papered house in Dora, Alabama, went horribly wrong when they lit the toilet paper on fire to get rid of it.
Neighborhood kids toilet-papered the house as a prank. As the family cleaned it up, they found some remaining bits of paper stuck in the branches of a tree and tried to get it out by lighting it on fire.
A gust of wind blew the flaming toilet paper into the yard, igniting the grass and then the house. No one was injured, but the home was destroyed. Ironically, some toilet paper was still visible in a tree after the fire.
Texas Snakes—Also Flammable!
In an equally baffling story, a woman in Texas burned down her home while trying to kill a snake by setting it on fire.
She saw a snake, threw gasoline on it, and lit it on fire, Unfortunately for her, the snake then went into a brush pile near the home and the brush pile ignited the home.
The fire also damaged a neighbor’s home.
Famous Son Joins Volunteer Ranks
Bruce Springsteen’s youngest son was only 8 years old when his father released The Rising, a reflection on the 9/11 attacks with songs about brave firefighters risking their lives to save others. In January 2014, now 20-year-old Sam Springsteen was among a class of 42 graduates from the Monmouth County (NJ) Fire Academy. He will join the Colts Neck Fire Department as a volunteer.
A Call and a Shave
Yes, according to Ron Jeffers, New Jersey Metro Fire Photographers Association, the barbershop is indeed part of this firehouse—and firefighters can get their hair cut in between runs!
Diane Rothschild, a 24-year veteran of PennWell Corp., is executive editor of Fire Engineering and conference director of FDIC. She has a B.A. in English communications. She has been a yenta (look it up) for most of her life. If you have a story for the Yenta, e-mail dianer@pennwell.com.
