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[Gene GeRue <genegerue AT ruralize.com>]

Man found in underground bunker; took 2 years to build

Associated Press
May. 30, 2007 07:54 AM
BUFFALO, N.Y. - A city fire investigator says he found a man living  
in a well-equipped underground bunker.

James O'Neill, an investigator with the city fire marshal's office,  
said the man, a 47-year-old veteran, uses car batteries to light the  
16-by-20-foot space, which is six feet underground. He cooks food in  
a hot pot.

The man said the bunker took two years to dig, O'Neill said.

The walls are covered with insulation and plastic tarps and the  
ceiling is made of wood and roofing material, said O'Neill, who  
discovered the home over the weekend while investigating a nearby  
fire. The man sleeps on a foam bed, O'Neill said.

"Some people would call him homeless, but he's a clean, well-spoken  
guy. When I spoke to him, he was reading a novel by Joseph Wambaugh,"  
O'Neill told The Buffalo News.

The fire investigator declined to give the man's name or say where  
the bunker is located to protect the man's privacy. He said the man  
earns money doing occasional odd jobs.

"It's not the Marriott hotel by any means, but this man has made it  
comfortable down there," O'Neill said.

The man said he has been living in the bunker for about six years.

"He told me it's a peaceful and tranquil place to live," O'Neill said.