"It was freaky; the fungus ate my flip flops," homeowner Walter Moore recently told Fox 11. Luckily, for once the wood flooring contractor has not been blamed in this bizarre case of homeowner woe playing out in Los Angeles.
After "orange blobs" started appearing through the couple's wood floor, the couple's insurance company sent forensic investigators to the home. When the investigators removed sections of the restored wood flooring in the historic home, "There was this strange, viney-looking, spider-weby-growth" under the wood flooring planks, said Judy Moore, Walter Moore's wife.
The peculiar growth was identified as an outbreak of Poria incrassata, a rare wood-eating fungus brought on by moisture. The fungus can sprout up overnight and "eat an entire house in a year or two," Judy Moore said. She likened the fungus to a monster in the horror movie "It Came From Outer Space," with tentacles that branch out in search of moisture to feed back to the "body of the beast." While the fungus is harmless to people, it can easily spread throughout a neighborhood, Fox 11 reported.
After bringing the fungus to the attention of their insurance company, Safeco, the Moores thought they were covered. But Safeco balked after initially confirming the claim was covered. After racking up $350,000 in repairs, the Moores were told they were only covered for $10,000. Financially unable to abandon their home, which is still being attacked by the fungus, the Moores are suing Safeco to ante up.
