Gopher-hunt goes bad to fiery ending

CALGARY, Alberta, March 24 (UPI) -- A Calgary, Alberta, man fed up with a gopher infestation accidentally started a weekend wildfire that caused more than $200,000 in damages, firefighters said.

Firefighters from four municipalities scrambled to prevent the fire from burning any houses Saturday, but Rocky View Assistant Deputy Fire Chief Jim Pendergast said some barns, sheds and vehicles were damaged or destroyed, the Calgary Herald reported Monday.

The province is undergoing an infestation of gophers, and Pendergast said a group of people had used a new system called the Rodenator on their property. The system blasts oxygen and propane down the hole and then creates explosions that collapse tunnels and kill the rodents by concussion, the report said.

"I have never been to a fire started by this before," Pendergast said Sunday. "We're not saying there's something wrong with the device. But this is not an appropriate time to use it."

The fire consumed about a half mile of extremely dry prairie grass, and Pendergast said the people targeting gophers could face liability for losses and the $40,000 firefighting bill, the newspaper.