FD: Battle Creek house fire caused by rodent

BATTLE CREEK, Mich. (WOOD) — Firefighters say nobody was hurt in a Battle Creek house fire, though the home suffered thousands of dollars’ worth of property damage.

It happened around 4 p.m. Monday on the 12000 block of Sonoma Road, near Minges Road, according to the Battle Creek Fire Department.

Firefighters say a small rodent was storing walnuts inside the wall and, in the process, chewed through the AC electrical feed, which arced. This caused the material in the wall to catch fire, according to the fire department.

The department says the homeowner quickly noticed the problem, left the home and called for help. The fire was largely contained in the laundry room area at the back of the house, it says, and there wasn’t much smoke damage to the rest of the home.

Firefighters estimate the fire caused $24,500 in property damage and $5,000 in damage to the home’s contents.

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