Catfish burns down the house

[allingeneral]

A CATFISH called Kipper is being blamed for starting a fire that destroyed his owner’s home.

Kipper might have been an 8in (20cm) slippery customer, but was an unlikely suspect as a potential arsonist. Nonetheless Sharron Killahena, the fish’s owner, is sure that he was the culprit.

Dripping water led to a short circuit that caused a power surge. That, in turn, melted the lid of the fish tank. Burning plastic dripped on to a sofa that caught fire, setting off a smoke alarm. The alarm woke Miss Killahena, 25, her two children Nicole, 6, and Kerry, 2, and their landlord, Simon Justice, giving them all time to escape. All four were treated in hospital for smoke inhalation.

Afterwards Miss Killahenna said that Kipper was a notoriously belligerent fish and often fought with other occupants of her 5ft aquarium. She suspects that the fish’s antics caused water to splash on to a power socket, starting the chain of events that led to the fire. Miss Killahena, from Poole, Dorset, said: “We have big fish in the tank - oscars, which are up to 10in long. One of the oscars and the catfish tend playfully to fight each other. “In the past when they have done this they have moved rocks in the tank because of the waves they create. Water has managed to get through the lid and on to the floor. “Sadly it looks like that has happened here. But the water got on to the plugs below, caused the light to malfunction and started the fire. “Absolutely everything is ruined and the sitting room is gutted. The rest of the house is completely blackened by the smoke. You work so hard to get things perfect and then something like this happens.â€