Doofus Of The Day #381

Today's award goes to the Oldham City Council in England.

Council workers were given flame guns to rid a town's pavements of weeds - then accidentally set a shop on fire.

Oldham council chiefs kitted out their staff with the equipment as part of a bid to win Britain In Bloom.

But businessman Jon Riley was left blazing mad after they unwittingly set fire to the front of his father's Roll End Carpets shop.

. . .

Jon, 31, who was in the shop at the time, said: 'They sprayed [weedkiller] first and then these two blokes came with these blowtorches.

'I didn't pay too much attention but about five minutes later I could smell burning. I went outside and flames were going up the shop front.

'The blokes were down the road doing somewhere else. I shouted to them and they came running back. We got the fire extinguisher out and then the fire service came.

'The flames had spread up the door and to the sign. They had to use thermal imaging cameras to make sure it hadn't spread.

'I've been left with half a sign and a tatty shop-front. Business is hard enough as it is without this.

'You'd have thought they may have used a bit of common sense - dry wood and flames don't mix. It's not rocket science.'

There's more at the link.

It may not be rocket science, but it almost led to a burn-off, if not a lift-off!





Peter