Mountain Dew / Dorito cheesecake

NBC4 Washington
By Sophia Barnes

A homeowner burned down their house in Montgomery County, Maryland, while trying to chase off snakes, officials say.

The homeowner tried to use smoke to fight a snake infestation in a home on Big Woods Road near Poolesville, Montgomery County Fire and Rescue spokesman Pete Piringer said.

Hot coals got too close to flammable materials and caught fire. About 75 firefighters responded at 10 p.m. Tuesday, Piringer said.

The fire spread from the basement and consumed the home, causing more than $1 million in damage, officials say. Photos show flames shooting from the roof and second-story windows.

https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/homeowner-fighting-snake-infestation-burns-down-maryland-house-officials/2899908/

The status of the snakes is unknown

By The Associated Press
via NBC4Washington

Maryland’s attorney general filed a lawsuit Tuesday against chemical company Monsanto and two spinoffs, alleging that chemicals Monsanto manufactured harmed the state’s waters, fish and wildlife and seeking to recover damages and clean-up costs.

The lawsuit filed in the Circuit Court for Baltimore City alleges that Monsanto knew as early as 1937 that polychlorinated biphenyls had systemic toxic effects in humans and animals, Attorney General Brian Frosh said in a news release.

“Monsanto not only continued to manufacture and sell PCBs but increased production even when the harm to the environment was undeniable,” Frosh said in a statement. “Monsanto’s toxic legacy lives on. Until today, Marylanders have borne the cost of cleaning up these poisons. It is time for Monsanto to take full responsibility.”

Monsanto was the only U.S. company to manufacture PCBs for widespread commercial use between 1935 and 1977, when it ceased production two years before it was banned. The company knew PCBs don’t naturally break down and touted their longevity, the suit alleges.

https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/maryland-ag-sues-monsanto-alleges-harm-to-natural-resources/2892291/