quirrelly

ome time ago Baron Von Lodge was the head of a small country near Switzerland known as Lilliland.

During their regular meeting about the safety of Lilliland with his chief advisor, Professor Hamblin, the Baron often stressed fire and explosives safety.

All of Lilliland took great care to prevent fires and the handling of flammable goods and liquids. The record of safety had been very successful until something strange happened at midnight.

At the boatyard on Lake Lilliland, in the middle of the night, there was an explosion and fire. Two night watchmen at the boatyard saw no one coming or going. After the fire was put out, there was no evidence of anything out of the ordinary.

For the longest time the cause was a problem. Professor Hamblin personally inspected everything in order to determine the cause. Arson was ruled out because there was no evidence that it was a deliberate act.

One day, the Professor was having a cup of tea in the Baron’s kitchen talking with one of the chefs about the plans for an upcoming state dinner and reception.

During the conversation in the kitchen, the Professor heard a loud bang coming from the outside pantry where fruit preserves were sometimes kept. The chef said that the sound was nothing, just a squirrel in the rafters of the pantry accidentally pushing a jar of preserves down. It happened now and then.

An idea hit the Professor and he went to the head of the boatyard. He asked the manager of the boatyard if he had a problem with squirrels. He answered that he did on occasion. The squirrels would get in the rafters of the boatyard building and build nests. Strange noises could be heard all night long. The Professor asked if any volatile fuel was stored near where the squirrels crawled. The manager answered, yes, he thought so.

Could it be that a squirrel had bumped a jar of flammable fluid from a high shelf and when it his the cement floor it ignited like a firebomb? Yes, it could and that had to be the solution of the strange explosion and fire in the boatyard building.