Sunbeam, magnifying glass set fire in Wyoming home

[February 04, 2010]  RIVERTON, Wyo. (AP) -- Officials say a magnifying glass set on a stand in a sunny room started a small blaze in a Wyoming home.

UPS worker Buddy Armstrong was delivering a package to 84-year-old Thomas Guthrie's Dubois home on Tuesday when he heard an alarm inside. Armstrong, also a volunteer firefighter, called emergency workers and went inside the home, along with a sheriff's deputy.

Sgt. Jerry Evagelatos says they found a lot of smoke, but couldn't find the source until Dubois firefighters arrived. Evagelatos says the sun was shining at just the right angle to hit a magnifying glass on a stand. The glass magnified the sunbeam, which set a nearby pile of mail on fire.

Evagelatos says the fire was extinguished before it damaged the home. Guthrie wasn't at home during the fire.

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Information from: The (Riverton) Ranger, http://www.dailyranger.com/

[Associated Press]

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