Mice infestation can drive a hobby gardener to despair - and sometimes also to radical measures. In the current case, a man in the East Frisian Heisfelde wanted to fight the mice with butyric acid.
He hurt himself so badly that he had to be taken to the hospital. He had inhaled vapors of the strong corrosive substance and get on his skin, said the fire department Leer on Monday evening.
He also triggered a large-scale operation with 50 firefighters. Since it was initially unclear what substance it was, the helpers had to work in special protective suits for dangerous goods accidents. The paramedics also first treated the man in protective suits, as the fire brigade further communicated.
Then the alert level was increased and the Gefahrgutzug the district fire brigade moved on. It has measuring equipment, collecting and overflow tanks as well as a mobile decontamination facility for emergency services.
Samples were taken and analyzed in the garden, the remaining butyric acid was recovered and saved. Finally, on behalf of the lower water authority, emergency responders began to excavate soil in some areas of the garden. For local residents and neighbors, according to the fire department, there was no immediate danger. For the voles, though.
