Iowa Raccoon Nearly Burned Alive

Just down the street from my house, a family of raccoons lives peacefully in the storm drain.  As I sit on my front porch on summer evenings, I often see Mama Raccoon poke her head out and check if the coast is clear, before leading her brood off into the neighborhood for a night of foraging through garage cans. One of the houses across the street is in foreclosure and the raccoon family can often be seen attempting to set up shop in the attic via a hole in the eave.

Things were not so convenient for a raccoon in Callender, Iowa, northwest of Ames on Sunday. Firefighters set a century-old old corn elevator ablaze for training purposes when a raccoon appeared in an upper window of the storage facility.

After surveying its options, the raccoon decided to make a jump for it. It landed safely and scattered off to look for a new home.

The elevator burned to the ground in front of over 300 of the town's citizens, who made a picnic of the event.

Citizens agreed it was one of the most exciting events in the town of Callender for quite a while.

I imagine it was pretty exciting for the raccoon too.

Do you have issues with raccoons in your neighborhood? Tell us about them in the comments.