An animal rights group claiming to be part of the international Animal Liberation Front has set a Caldwell, Idaho fireworks and fur factory ablaze. Nobody was injured in the fire and police have not said whether the animal group was responsible, which has left local residents uncertain about who to believe. The group of activists publicly claimed responsibility for the fire at the Rocky Mountain Fireworks and Fur company, which saw the fire department, bomb squad and Federal agents arrive on the scene to douse out the flames and investigate. “You had everyone we could to try and cordon off the area to make sure if the fire or heat did in fact get in there, that nobody was going to be in a danger zone,” said Sgt. Christopher McCormick, with the Canyon County Sheriff's Office, in comments published by ktvb.com. Initially, police were uncertain what caused the fire and thought it could be an accident, but later in the day, the press arm for the ALF issued a statement taking responsibility and telling why they attacked the company. “Anybody that's making a profit off the exploitation of innocent animals, is fair game, as far as being targeted for economic sabotage,” said Jerry Vlasak, who deals with the press for the ALF. According to the statement, those claiming to be responsible said that they drilled a hole into a storage space, pumped in gallons of fuel, and set off charges after they were clear. They said that because the company sold skins of tortured animals, and that by oppressing innocent life, they had lost their rights. “Information leaflets, and television commercials, and lobbying … All of these peaceful means have been tried,” said Vlasak, who doesn't believe these criminal actions are extreme. “We think that it's extreme that millions of animals would be kept in cages, and killed unnecessarily top make fashionable garments.” Millions of animals are slaughtered, often alive, annually as part of the fur and skins industry globally, which is a multi-billion dollar business. BM
