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Home torched by blazing rodent

When an American man tried to dispose of a mouse by throwing it into a pile of burning leaves, the blazing rodent got its revenge by scurrying into the man's home and burning it to the ground.

Luciano Mares, 81, of Fort Sumner, New Mexico hates mice and when he caught this one he wanted to get rid of it.
 
"I had some leaves burning outside, so I threw it in the fire, and the mouse was on fire and ran back at the house," he was quoted as saying by Associated Press.

Village Fire Chief Juan Chavez said the burning mouse ran to just beneath a window, and the flames spread up from there and throughout the house, AP reported.

Although no-one was hurt, the house and everything in it was destroyed.

"I've seen numerous house fires, but nothing as unique as this one," Fire Department Captain Jim Lyssy told AP.

New Mexico has seen several major blazes after unseasonably dry and windy conditions which have destroyed 10 homes and devastated more than 53,000 acres (21,200 hectares) of land in recent weeks.