King George Island, Antarctica - Bloated from gorging on krill and squid a colony of gassy Emperor Penguins may be behind the fire that's gutted a Brazilian research station in the Antarctic.
Until this morning the Comandante Ferraz base was carrying out vital research into waxing technologies and follicular solutions when a huge explosion tore through the plant's machine room housing energy generators.
Witnesses have described how bits of part-digested fish and penguin feathers smouldered among the flames as the 1.6 sq-mile base was razed to the ground.
Earlier in the evening a flock of some 5,000 of the Antarctic's fabled Aptenodytes Forsteri was seen descending on the machine room as heady local Mistral currents spread some tantalising Penguinish scent around the compound.
"Something must have caused a spark that then blew up the entire colony," Brazil navy rescue sources explained.
"Personally I blame global warming."
Last year there were reports of exploding polar bears wrecking sensitive neighboring UNESCO sites, something that the World Wildlife Fund said is typical of climate change.
The King George Island station is located north of the Antarctic Peninsula, home of vast indigenous wax deposits used by the Brazilian industry to change the lives of women everywhere.
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