Rodent killer sparks SLO brush fire

July 27, 2015

FIRE_01A homemade device that kills rodents caused a brush fire that broke out Sunday afternoon on the outskirts of San Luis Obispo. [KSBY]

Cal Fire crews responded to the blaze at Laureate Lane and O’Connor Way around 12:30 p.m. The fire burned about a half acre before firefighters gained control of it.

The rodent-killing device, which is dubbed a Rodenator, creates underground explosions that kill the animals. Firefighters say the man who was using the Rodenator stayed at the scene of the fire.

Authorities have not yet determined whether the man will be held responsible for the fire.


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What they finally resorted to at the Coast Union High athletic field, when all else failed, is an OWL BOX. This has a very good track record 9pun intended). A family of barn owls can eat 3,000 (yes I said 3,000) gophers in a year. That would most likely cover the whole neighborhood. We have removed most of the owl’s natural habitat and the lack of rain, that would have drowned at least some of the gophers, has left us with a real plague of the little buggers.


What seems not to work as well is just about everything else (poisons, gas, traps and oh yes, EXPLOSIONS), which would include the Wiley Coyote approach, more appropriate full name “ACME” Rodinator.