Cat electrocutes self, ignites grass fire

Here, kitty, kitty… Bzzzzzzzzt

A fried cat is being blamed for a grass fire that threatened a residence in Howardwick’s 600 block of Borger Street last week.

Fire Chief Joe Hall said the blaze that was reported at 7:01 p.m. last Friday, January 17, was caused after a cat crawled on top of an electrical transformer and burned through all nine of its lives before hitting the ground as flaming ball of fur and igniting the dry grass.

A quick-thinking neighbor began smacking the fire with a snow shovel and

thereby averted any greater disaster.

Three units and six firemen responded from Howardwick assisted by one unit and two firemen from Clarendon. The fire was completely extinguished in about an hour.

An area more than 400 square feet was burned, but no damage was done to the residence or nearby outbuildings.

Donley County is currently under a burn ban during Red Flag Warning days, and local officials are warning residents to use extreme caution to avoid outdoor fires that could lead to wildfires. Keeping grass and brush cleared is one key to preventing disaster during these dry conditions.

“If you have grass more than three inches tall, get it down,” Hall said. “We are in prime condition for wildfires.”