Don't Do This!

This page posts select "Don't Do This!" tales from the Newsletters
as somewhat of a public service.

I did not realize that the accumulation of beer cans was a common problem, with the return deposit in some states and incentives to recycle. After reading the news article below last week (Sept. '07), I realized that this may be a big problem. Also below is the first episode of this problem that I saw. I have posted pictures to help you determine if you have a similar problem!

note - notice the brand loyality.

9/07

Beer Cans Block Ohio Man's Escape Fom Burning House-- A Cincinnati area man who died in a house fire early Wednesday morning may have survived if his escape had not been blocked by a large pile of beer cans. Fire crews were called to the home near Cincinnati before 6 a.m. and found heavy smoke and fire coming from the structure. "My daughter woke me up because her bedroom is over in the front of the house and she seen the flames on her window," Wayne Kendrick said Firefighters initially said no one was hurt, but one person, Robert McCarty, 37, was unaccounted for. Crews working inside the home found McCarty's body shortly after 10 a.m., and investigators said his exit was blocked by a 5-foot tall stack of beer cans. A caller to 911 said he couldn't get the door open. Caller: "Yeah I tried to kick the front door open. It feels like something is in front of the door. I kicked the lock open but I can't get the door all the way open and nobody responded. " 911 Operator: "It feels like something is in front of the door?" Caller: "Yeah." Damage to the home was extensive and estimated at $70,000. The cause of the fire was determined to be an overloaded circuit breaker.

6/2005

70,000 Empty Beer Cans in Townhouse

A SINGLE GUY LIVED IN THIS TOWNHOUSE FOR 8 YEARS IN OGDEN, UTAH. THEY THOUGHT HE WAS THE BEST RENTER BECAUSE HE NEVER CALLED OR COMPLAINED AND WAS NEVER LATE ON A PAYMENT. THESE PICTURES DON'T EVEN COME CLOSE TO WHAT IT REALLY LOOKED LIKE. CENTURY 21 HAD ALREADY MOVED SOME OF THE CANS OUT AND HAD CAVED IN TUNNELS THAT HE HAD MADE TO GET TO THE BEDROOM, BATHROOM, AND KITCHEN.
 

All this, yet, you still don't see any dust or scattered clothes or any dirty dishes anywhere. Other than having a minor drinking problem, he was basically a very clean, organized person. Add to this he was concerned about his health, proved by the fact that he drank a "Light" beer. Most of us would probably be hard-pressed to find the time to collect (or buy) as many beer cans as are pictured here, transport them to our residence, and distribute them in various rooms — never mind actually drinking that much brew. But that's what evidently happened here. According to KSL-TV in Salt Lake City, the above-displayed images are real pictures of an Ogden, Utah, residence taken in 2005. Century 21 property manager Ryan Froerer was alerted by a Realtor to come check on a townhouse that the latter described as "the sickest thing he's ever seen." Mr. Froerer found the residence possessed of a sickening smell, its front door blocked by debris, the furnishings inside buried under mountains of beer cans, and rooms stacked to the ceiling with beer boxes. He snapped a few photos of the interior and e-mailed them to friends, pictures that have now worked their way around the world via the Internet. The 8-year resident of the building was apparently exceedingly fond of Coors Light beer, drinking a couple of dozen cans a day, every day, for the length of his residence, saving all the empties as well as the cartons they came in. (The townhouse was found to contain an estimated 70,000 empty beer cans which reportedly fetched a total of $800 when they were delivered to a recycler. Despite his unusual behavior, the occupant of the townhouse was described as a reliable tenant who paid his rent on time, never complained, and maintained such a low profile that the local mail carrier thought the residence was vacant. Although, for reasons not explained by news reports, the tenant had evidently deliberately shut off the water and heat to the townhouse.According to KSL-TV, the townhouse has since been cleaned up, and the former resident has stopped drinking and has resumed his former job.

This is a true story and verified at:   http://www.snopes.com/photos/odd/beercans.asp
 

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