By Tim Binnall
Firefighters in California found themselves with a rather unusual problem on their hands when hundreds of birds somehow wound up stuck in the fireplace of a home. The odd incident reportedly occurred on Sunday evening in the community of Montecito when a resident discovered that approximately 1,000 of the diminutive creatures, later identified as a migratory species known as swifts, had flown down their chimney and could not escape. An eerie video captured at the scene shows the birds fluttering up against a fireplace cover seemingly ready to burst into the residence at any moment.
Fortunately, the birds were being kept at bay by the screen, so the firefighters and animal welfare workers who responded to the call initially opted to see if they would simply fly away at some point during the night. However, their hopes were dashed when they returned the next day and found that the animals were still stuck. As such, the team devised a rather clever plan wherein they constructed a "chute system" which funneled the birds from the chimney, through the house, and out the back door.