SEATTLE – Fire officials say a West Seattle man was using a lighter and a can of spray paint to kill a spider in his laundry room when the house went up in flames.
Fire crews were called to a home in the 10200 block of 34th Avenue SW just before 8:30 p.m. on Tuesday.
Firefighters originally battled the blaze from a distance after learning there may be ammunition inside. Crews were eventually able to extinguish the fire, but not before it did significant damage to the structure.
A man who lived at the home told fire officials he was trying to kill a spider in his laundry room using a can of spray paint and a lighter when the wall caught fire, according to Kyle Moore with the Seattle Fire Department. The man wasn’t able to put the fire out himself, and he left the home when it began to spread.
“I don’t want to encourage people to do this, but that’s what he did,” Moore said. “The spider tried to get into the wall. He sprayed flames on the wall, lit the wall on fire, and that extended up to the ceiling.”
The man initially tried to put water on the fire, but he wasn’t able to put it out and the blaze spread quickly spread into the attic.
“There are safer, more effective ways to kill spider than using fire,” Moore said. “Fire is not the method to use to kill a spider.”
The building, which is a rental home, will cost roughly $40,000 to repair, Moore said. It will cost another $20,000 to repair or replace the contents of the home.
As for the spider, Moore said: “I’m pretty sure the spider did not survive this fire. The whole wall went.”
The Red Cross is finding temporary housing for the man and a woman who lived with him.
http://www.komonews.com/news/local/Man-tries-to-kill-spider-with-spray-paint-and-lighter-burns-down-house-267285431.html?utm_source=digg&utm_medium=twitter
I went backpacking a couple weeks ago and the mosquitoes were fucking TERRIBLE. I actually threw a temper tantrum. If I had a flame thrower I would have burned the entire forest down to kill them all. Without remorse.
Love this:
It would be fucking hilarious if somehow the spider survived.
maxx
July 16, 2014, 9:54pm
3
this is like every fucking meme when you see a giant weird spider
So basically the ending to the Arachnophobia moviehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQzb4_n34gU
Sequel confirmed
it looks like he is in a web of debt now
the itsy bitsy spider was in the man’s house, down came ceiling that burned the spider out, out came the fire that burned the man’s house and the itsy bitsy spider climbed up on the man shoulder again
But spiders can teleport when they’re out of vision. This is fact.
SWBeta
July 16, 2014, 10:12pm
7
Arachnophobia is serious business.
Just the house? i would have torched the whole lot.
Raz0r
July 16, 2014, 10:42pm
9
My biggest fear are insects. I remember a few years ago I had just taken a shower and walked into my room to find a huge cockroach I swear was pulling a goddamn buggy. I screamed like a girl, my towel dropped, and I chased the thing all over the apartment with a broom. I finally got that son of a bitch.
My roommate thought I was nuts.
Raz0r:
I screamed like a girl
This is the only part of your story I believe.
Raz0r
July 16, 2014, 10:46pm
11
The fear is real. If you showed me a roach or some shit like that I’ll run away faster than Epidemic from primates.
So what’s going on with the man that burnt the place? Is he being charged for repairs? Can arachnophobia be used as an actual defense?
Javid
July 16, 2014, 11:00pm
15
Looks like that spider’s spider sense was tingling…
Man used flamethrower! It’s super effective!
Raz0r:
My biggest fear are insects. I remember a few years ago I had just taken a shower and walked into my room to find a huge cockroach I swear was pulling a goddamn buggy. I screamed like a girl, my towel dropped, and I chased the thing all over the apartment with a broom. I finally got that son of a bitch.
My roommate thought I was nuts.
I know someone who reacts the exact same way about roaches, including screaming like a girl. That person is my girlfriend.
Kromo
July 17, 2014, 12:09am
20
Lame.
He burnt the house down by ACCIDENT.
