VANCOUVER—The occasion: Earth Hour.

The lights: Off.

The cat: On fire.

A romantic, candlelight dinner in the B.C. environment minister’s house got some unexpected fireworks on Saturday while he and his wife celebrated Earth Hour.

“Suddenly, there was a poof of smoke,” Barry Penner said Tuesday.

He looked over to see that Ranger, the family’s orange-coloured cat, had caught fire while brushing past a candle.

The inquisitive cat, 5, apparently wanted to get in on what was supposed to have been an Earth Hour tete-a-tete for Penner and his wife Daris LaPointe.

The couple rushed to extinguish their pet, but by the time they reached his side, the flames were out, leaving Ranger’s fur singed on one side.

“He looked somewhat disgruntled,” said Penner. “He looked taken aback but he didn’t look afraid. He looked more irritated than anything.”

Candles had been lit around the kitchen and the dining room, as well as on counters and on the table, Penner said.

“This was something new and so he wanted to get a closer look at the candle. He likes to rub against things,” he said.

Within seconds of his brush with destiny, Ranger was demanding rubs, Penner said. The environment minister reported Tuesday Ranger is completely fine, although petting him makes your hand smell like smoke, and his singed fur is curled up, frizzy and brittle.

Anxious phone calls and emails expressing concern for Ranger have been pouring in since the environment minister recounted the Earth Hour mishap to reporters.



Ranger was named by LaPointe, who was working as a ranger in B.C. when she acquired the cat. Penner had the same job before going into politics.

Penner and LaPointe wed in 2008. The minister said the first time he met Ranger, he remembers trying to make a good impression on his then-girlfriend while her cat was making a good impression on his foot with his claws.

Not only a cat-lover, the environment minister is known for his rehabilitation work and photo-ops with marmots which he has personally helped release back into the wild.

B.C. SPCA spokeswoman Lorie Chortyk said Ranger’s mishap is the first animal Earth Hour mishap she’s heard about in the province.

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“I don’t recall ever hearing of a cat caught on fire during Earth Hour,” said Chortyk.

Despite the incident, Penner said his household remains committed to Earth Hour and even kept the lights off while he and his wife rushed over to check out the cat. There was only the slightest hesitation when they considered how to get rid of the smell.

“We thought about using the fan but we couldn’t do it,” said Penner. They opted instead to open windows to air out the house without using any electricity.

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