At last firemen have put out a big forest fire in California. Since then, they
have been trying to find out how the fire began. Forest fire are often caused
by broken glass or by cigarette ends which people carelessly throw away.
Yesterday the firemen examined the ground carefully, but were not able to find
any broken glass. They were also quite sure that a cigarette end did not start
the fire. This morning, however, a fireman accidentally discovered the cause.
He noticed the remains of a snake which was wound round the electric wires of
a 16,000-volt power line. In this way, he was able to solve the mystery. The
explanation was simple but very unusual. A bird had snatched up the snake from
the ground and then dropped it on to the wires. The snake then wound itself
round the wires. When it did so, it sent sparks down to the ground and these
immediately started a fire.&