Good Samaritan rescues man from burning SUV

NEW BRIGHTON, Minn. (AP) — A Good Samaritan showed "superhuman strength" when he bent the door of a burning sport utility vehicle and rescued another motorist on a Minnesota freeway, a state trooper said.

Bob Renning, 52, of Woodbury was driving with his girlfriend on Interstate 35W in New Brighton Sunday evening when he noticed the vehicle driving behind him was on fire.

Renning told the Star Tribune (http://strib.mn/1m51GUH ) that he stopped about 200 feet in front of the SUV as it pulled over. Renning said he sprinted to the car as he saw flames and smoke "rolling around" the SUV. His girlfriend called 911.

When Renning reached the SUV, the flames had intensified and the interior was filled with smoke. He couldn't see anyone inside. He pulled on the door handle, but it wouldn't open. He then spotted Michael Johannes frantically pounding and kicking against the passenger-side window.

Johannes couldn't open the door after the locks and power windows failed.

Renning, who said he is not especially fit, gripped the top of the door frame with his fingertips, braced his foot against the door and pulled. The door then bent in half and the glass shattered, the Minnesota State Patrol said.

This image taken from video made Monday, June 30, 2014, shows Bob Renning, 52, posed at his home in  …

Renning, a member of the Air National Guard, said he doesn't know how he pried the door open.

State Trooper Zachary Hill, who was quickly on the scene, said Renning displayed "superhuman strength" in the rescue.

"I don't think I could take a crowbar and fold the door like he did," Hill said.

Johannes said he had no idea someone was trying to rescue him. He said he was holding his breath and believed he was going to die.

"Thirty seconds later and I would have been done," said Johannes, who was treated for a cut to his head and smoke inhalation.

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Information from: Star Tribune, http://www.startribune.com

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Animal clinic rescues 6 squirrels with tails fused together

(Animal Clinic of Regina/Facebook)
It was a strange sight: six otherwise adorable squirrels with their tails fused together. The “squirrel kings” formation, as it’s called, resulted in the rodents connected to each other from behind, unable to escape their bonds and headed for death or dismemberment.
The squirrels were lucky to be discovered by a caring individual who brought them to the Animal Clinic of Regina in Regina, Saskatchewan, where employees were able to methodically separate the squirrels from each other without permanently damaging them.
“It just doesn’t happen too often,” Dr. Steven Kruzeniski told Metro Canada. “It’s a pretty rare thing to see, but I have seen it happen once before.”
So how exactly did the young squirrels end up physically bound to each other? Kruzeniski said they were likely all resting near each other in a pine tree when sap dripped onto their tails and fused them together as it hardened and grafted with their fur.
After the squirrels were brought into the clinic, the team of veterinarians sedated them and removed their matted tail fur. During the procedure, the squirrels appeared to rest peacefully, with their mouths hanging open and their forearms curled up. The entire procedure reportedly lasted about 20 minutes.
After the successful separation, the squirrels were given antibiotics and monitored for a few days. The vets fed and hydrated the animals to make sure they were nursed back to full health and had not suffered any infections as a result of the procedure. Finally, they were all released back into the city’s green space.
"If they get really tangled up, they generally can't feed as effectively, and their tails can become infected and have to be amputated," Kruzeniski said. "In this case their tails were a bit raw, but they weren't too bad and we were able to save all of them."
(Regina Animal Clinic/Facebook)
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