Charles and a monkey share a meaningful sidelong glance.

The Darwin Awards

2021 Slush Pile

Submissions From Readers
Which should we promote to winners?

Pending Review

Snakes-1, Homeowner-0

Wendy says: "Brilliant! Great write up, anonymoose friend. I paired this up with a SECOND Maryland snake issue, so this Honorable Mention survivor can see how a real Darwin Award winner goes about the task. Read: 124 Snakes Seek Less Annoying Housemate."

ORIGINAL SUBMISSION:

NEW INFO APR 2022:

At risk survivor--A Maryland homeowner was fed up with a snake infestation in his house. Instead of calling a professional, he took matters into his own hands and decided to "smoke them out". He attempted to use smoke from coals in his basement but, ignoring anything resembling common sense, failed to consider that putting coals on a basement floor is a bad idea. The heat soon started a fire and the house burned down. Amazingly, he lived to tell the tale (the snake status is "undetermined").

Submitted on 12/03/2021

References:

Submitted by: Anonymous
Reference: 12-3-21 https://wtop.com/montgomery-county/2021/12/maryland-homeowner-burned-down-house-trying-to-f


>> Moderator Scores <<

Candi said:
Definitely Keep: Honorable Mention
I'm keeping this because an article says that the reason the fire spread was the burning coals were placed "near combustibles", allowing the fire to spread, and the owner apparently did not leave the house while trying this smoke-out trick. In most fires, it's not the flames, it's the smoke that kills. For the other mods: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/maryland-home-burns-owners-ill-fated-snake-fight-rcna7571

Tracy said:
Definitely Keep: Honorable Mention
Yep, I'll go with Candi, this is not the best way to get rid of snakes