Vermin nest causes fire in tractor

Firefighters are urging residents, particularly in rural communities, to check for fire threats posed by vermin nests in vehicles.

Tasmania Fire Service recently attended a fire at a Latrobe-area property in which a tractor sustained significant damage, after a nest built in the engine bay caught fire.

There have been other callouts to fires involving farm equipment and vehicles, with nests built by birds or rodents catching alight once the vehicle has started.

TFS District Officer Jaron Oosterloo encouraged drivers and vehicle owners to check vehicles for vermin nests that could become a fire hazard.

“It is a problem that we see at different times of the year, and particularly if vehicles have been unused for a while or sitting idle,” District Officer Oosterloo said.

“Vermin such as rats and mice, or birds, like to get into the engine or exhaust area of the vehicle, where it’s warm and dry, and make their nests. 

“These nests are often built out of grass, twigs, or paper and those types of materials that can be highly flammable. Nests can catch fire quickly the next time the vehicle is started.”

District Officer Oosterloo said people were often unsuspecting of the fire threat, so it was timely to do a quick maintenance check. Vermin can also be responsible for unexpected electrical faults caused by damaged or chewed wires.