ODDLY ENOUGH

ODDLY ENOUGH

Manure fire stinks up town

WINDSOR, Vt.

A pile of goat manure spontaneously caught fire, spreading stench and wrinkling noses through a Vermont town but causing no damage, officials said. The odor evoked “a damp kind of burning leaves or brush fire,” Windsor Town Manager Tom Marsh said.

A worker on her way to milk goats discovered the fire in the 120-cubic-yard manure pile about 3 a.m. Wednesday, said George Redick, owner of the 800-goat Oak Knoll Dairy. He and others put out the flames with water from a hose but the pile continued to smolder.

He planned to call the fire department later in the morning, but firefighters already were searching for the source of the smell by 6:30 a.m.

Marsh said he could smell the fire 5 miles away. He called it “a little disconcerting, because it was a very strong smell.”

Redick says the manure would have been spread around the farm earlier in the year, but the rainy season and other factors kept that from happening. He said he used to think spontaneous combustion was make-believe. “Now I’m a believer,” he said.

Duck pond gets help from pool

midland, texas

Some lucky ducks in West Texas will get a chance to splash using recycled water.

Officials in Midland will transfer water from the 500,000-gallon Doug Russell Pool to Wadley Barron Park’s duck pond to relieve a dry spell. Wells that were drilled to supply theSFlbpond haven’t yielded as much water as hoped.

The Midland Reporter-Telegram reported Wednesday that the water from the municipal pool, which has closed for the season, will be trucked when chlorine levels fade.

Associated Press