Battle Between Hawk and Snake Starts California Wildfire
OutdoorHub Reporters 06.12.15
Firefighters near San Diego spent hours fighting a four-acre fire on a hillside on Tuesday, only to find two bodies near the origin of the blaze. However, the scorched carcasses were not human. They belonged to a brown hawk and a large, unidentified snake, still locked in combat.
According to the Washington Post, the two animals were electrocuted when they touched a power transformer. The electric current set the bird and snake on fire, and when they fell to the ground, the blaze spread to the dry grass nearby.
“”It’s actually not [surprising], we do have a lot of fires that are started by electrocuted animals, they rarely move to something like this but again in the fourth year of a drought with the fuel moisture as low as it is these are the kind of things that can take off very quickly,” San Diego Fire and Rescue Battalion Chief David Conner told Fox 10.
The fire could have been much worse, but thanks to the efforts of more than 80 firefighters and water drops from Fire and Rescue helicopters, the inferno was contained before it did more damage. No injuries were reported as a result of the blaze and no homes or businesses were damaged. The incident did result in at least 400 residents losing electricity for several hours before power was restored.
Unfortunately for this bird of prey, it chose the wrong place to perch for an early morning breakfast.
You can watch an interview with Conner below.
