Cooking squirrel with blowtorch will cost Holland tenant $2M

[brooklynite]

HOLLAND, MICH. (WZZM) - A woman whose boyfriend sparked a 2012 apartment fire using a blowtorch on a squirrel is on the hook for $2 million in damages to the Holland Township complex, the Court of Appeals says.

Today’s ruling reverses a lower court decision that held Barbara Pellows responsible for only $15,400 in damages caused by the Oct. 10 blaze that consumed 32 units at Clearview Apartments.

The woman’s boyfriend had been using a blowtorch to remove fur from the squirrel on a wooden deck. Owners of the complex say cooking a squirrel on the deck violated her rental agreement.

http://www.wzzm13.com/news/cooking-squirrel-with-blowtorch-will-cost-holland-tenant-2-million-for-ensuing-blaze/215039100

What can we learn from this?

[SeattleVet]

1. "What can we learn from this?"

You should just skin and gut squirrels, and not try to singe the fur off of them?

[trof]

6. +1

[Jeffersons Ghost]

12. me too cooking troops of tree rats in attic-attacks on entire neighborhoods!

With a bit of luck we can finish off those species too, right Xi Jinping?

[Kaleva]

2. rental agreement has a provision that prohibits cooking squirrels out on the deck?

Sheldon Cooper probably wrote up that contract.

[ohnoyoudidnt]

9. I suspect the rule has to do with grills on the deck and it is worded so

this incident is included.

[Tobin S.]

3. Seems like overkill to me.

The company that owned the apartments should have already been compensated by their insurance company for the destruction. I guess maybe it's the insurance company going after her. I didn't read the article, but insurance companies are paid to take such risks. Doesn't seem right to me.

[Massacure]

7. The article does state it is the insurance company going after her.

I agree with your sentiment that the insurance company's actions are probably overkill. If an insurance company has the ability to mitigate risk and recover costs though they will do so just like any other normal company would. Given that renters usually don't have much in the way of assets, I suspect the guilty party in this case will just declare bankruptcy and the insurance company will be left holding the bag. There are no winners in this case.

[Hassin Bin Sober]

10. Maybe she has a renter's policy good fo $25k or maybe higher. Those policies are pretty cheap.

I think my condo liability policy (much like a renter policy) is $300k. I could be wrong.

Who knows, maybe there is an umbrella policy. Nah.... Squirrel meat.

Travelers isn't going to see much recovery. Bankruptcy.

[Blue_Tires]

4. What we've learned is that this couple should not breed under any circumstances

[mahatmakanejeeves]

5. What we've learned from this is that Michigan is part of Florida.

"Florida man sparks apartment fire using blowtorch on squirrel."

[NV Whino]

8. Squirrel! 🐿

(Sorry, all I could find was a chimpmunk.)

[Initech]

15. Squirrel!!!!

[pinboy3niner]

11. Boris and Natasha learned that they need to revise one of their recipes

[dilby]

13. Why not just skin it?

I could not imagine eating squirrel skin, it's tough and leathery

[Initech]

14. "Blowtorch On A Squirrel" - is that the name of the new Modest Mouse album?

[madinmaryland]

16. Floriduh Man moved to Michigan??

[LiberalEsto]

17. Could this couple possibly be from Florida originally?

Wouldn't surprise me.

[RedCloud]

18. An outrage. These apts. are more clear view than ever.

False advertising by Clearview.

[SeattleVet]

19. This is just a wild guess....

but I'm thinking that someone cooking squirrels on a balcony probably doesn't have $2 million dollars...