24/04/2009 - Bird's cigarette habit sparks blaze
The owner of a store in Lincolnshire had to make an unusual claim on his shop insurance after a sparrow with a habit of feathering its nest with cigarette ends sparked a major fire.
The blaze caused £250,000-worth of damage at Crescent Stores in Leasingham, and owner Paul Sheriff was initially at a loss as to its cause.
No electrical or gas faults were uncovered by an investigation immediately after the fire, but insurance investigators later discovered 35 cigarette ends in the roof.
They concluded that a sparrow must have picked up a smouldering butt to feather its nest in the roof's eaves, thus causing the blaze.
Mr Sheriff, 48, said: "The shop was a total mess. All the suspended ceilings came down, all the electrics were down, all the fridges were broken, it was horrendous."
A spokesman for his insurance company added: "We believe it's the first case of its kind we've ever had to deal with. We had to bring in a specialist to investigate.
"I've certainly never come across this sort of thing before. It's strange to think how such a little bird armed with such a small object could cause such chaos."
Copyright © Press Association 2009
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