Squirrel Blamed for Rural North Dakota Barn Fire

A squirrel is being blamed for a weekend fire that destroyed a barn and tool shed near Bismarck.

Homeowner Sue Alexander tells The Bismarck Tribune that a squirrel got electrocuted in a transformer, and a spark started a fence on fire Saturday afternoon. The flames spread to dry grass and then to the barn. KXMB-TV reports that the barn had hay in it, which fueled the blaze.

No one was hurt. Firefighter Brandon Fitterer tells the newspaper that three vehicles were damaged and an acre of grass burned.