Mouse House Fire Just a Rumor
Well, it looks like a story that circulated around the internet, including here at Firewhirl, was just a rumor (from TheNewMexicoChannel.com).
FORT SUMNER, N.M. -- A small -town rumor that sparked world -wide interest about a mouse burning down a house has been found to be untrue.After 81-year-old Chano Mares's house burned down Saturday in Fort Sumner, news services picked up the quirky story.
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The mouse story, however, has been doused by Mares.
"It's really humorous more than anything that a mouse burned down the house," he told KOAT-TV in Albuquerque. The mouse was dead when it hit the burning leaves.
Mares said he trapped and killed the critter and tossed it on the fire.
The flames, he said, probably reached his house because they were driven by high winds.
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Mares lost everything -- and has no insurance -- but the mouse story still makes him smile.
"I started laughing, and I'll be laughing from now on," he said. "It's silly."
In the past, I've been hard on media outlets that pass on rumors. Well, now I have to eat a little crow, because I'm guilty of that very thing.
Please accept my apology for passing on incorrect information. However, like Mr. Mares, the rumor makes me laugh when I think about it.
