oddly enough

oddly enough

Fog machine in art installation prompts false fire alarms

PITTSBURGH

Where there’s smoke there’s fire. But fog signals art, as Pittsburgh firefighters are quickly learning.

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette says firefighters have been called to a downtown public square at least twice — including once Thursday morning — by people who reported smoke when they saw machine-generated fog that’s part of a new art installation.

“A Winter Landscape Cradling Bits of Sparkle” by artist Jennifer Wen Ma is a small oasis of mulched trees enveloping a small, boardwalk path. The fog machine belches every 10 minutes to simulate a cloudy mountaintop.

The Office of Public Art, a public-private agency, says firefighters are being advised and that the intensity of the fog bursts may be toned down to lessen the chance of future false alarms.

The installation began Feb. 19 and runs through April 12.

2 loose llamas lassoed after running amok near Phoenix

SUN CITY, Ariz.

Two quick-footed llamas that dashed in and out of traffic in a Phoenix-area retirement community were captured by authorities Thursday, causing a stir in the streets and on social media.

Television footage showed a large, white llama and a smaller, black llama darting through the streets of Sun City during lunch hour. Cars and golf carts stopped in their tracks because of the wayward livestock.

The animals galloped along the sidewalk, through manicured yards and along street medians. The streets looked more like a rodeo arena as several people tried to lasso both llamas.

Their televised breakout quickly inspired a Twitter account and several hashtags including #LlamasonTheLoose, #llamadrama and #TEAMLLAMAS. Someone also started a Twitter account with the handle @SunCityLlamas. The user tweeted that the idea was inspired by someone starting an account for a bear that caused a frenzy by running around the Phoenix suburb of Mesa on Christmas Day. The animal was captured days later.

The llamas thwarted numerous attempts by Maricopa County deputy sheriffs and bystanders to round them up before they were roped into custody.

The black llama was captured first. The white one was nabbed after two men in the back of a moving pickup truck repeatedly threw out a lasso. It took three men in all to secure the rope. Both animals were escorted to a waiting horse trailer.

The entire ordeal lasted about an hour. It was unknown if the llamas were anyone’s pets.

Associated Press