California woman finds marmot hiding in her engine

Sept. 18 (UPI) -- Firefighters helped a California driver remove an unusual obstruction clogging up their engine: a stowaway marmot.

The El Dorado County Fire Protection District said on social media that a resident brought her vehicle to the station on Pollock Pines to seek help removing an animal from under the hood of her car.

The creature turned out to be a marmot that had apparently stowed away during a recent trip to Yosemite National Park.

"Firefighters assisted in removing some vehicle components to access the animal," the post said. "California Department of Fish and Wildlife responded and assisted in safely removing the marmot from the vehicle and securing the healthy animal so it could be relocated home."