Homeowner Burned Down House Trying To Fight Snakes

A homeowner accidentally burned their house down while trying to fight some snakes.

Firefighters were called to a property in Maryland, US, after a blaze swept up when the owner tried to deal with a snake infestation.

According to fire chiefs, the owner had been attempting to use coals to try and smoke the serpents out.

However, officials confirmed that the coals were placed in the basement and too close to 'combustibles', causing the house to catch fire.

Following the shocking incident, Montgomery County Fire Department shared photos of the house ablaze alongside those of the charred, hollowed out remains the following day.

Fortunately, no one was injured, though the damage caused to the property totalled more than $1 million.

A spokesperson for the department initially said that an investigation was underway as to the cause of the fire.

They later confirmed, however, that it appeared as though the owner had been trying to sort out a snake problem.

It said: "Update Big Woods Rd, house fire 11/23; CAUSE, accidental, homeowner using smoke to manage snake infestation, it is believed heat source (coals) too close to combustibles; AREA of ORIGIN, basement, walls/floor; DAMAGE, >$1M; no human injures."

The spokesperson added that the status of snakes was "undetermined".

This isn't the first time that such an unfortunate series of events had resulted from someone trying to get rid of a pest from their house, though.

Back in 2018, a man accidentally burned down a house after using a blowtorch to try and get rid of some spiders.

The man was looking after his parents' place in Fresno, California, when he saw a number of 'dangerous spiders' in the property, 6 ABC reported at the time.

Firefighters said the man was trying to kill black widow spiders in the house and picked up a blowtorch. 

In total 29 firefighters were called out to deal with the fire. 

Fortunately, he was able to make it out of the property safely and no one else was in the house at the time.

But he won't alone in his fool proof plan either.

Earlier that same year, another person also attempted to use an open flame to kill a 'huge wolf spider' crawling around their gaffe.

The guy, from California, reportedly spotted a large spider in his bedroom and decided the best course of action was to pull out his trusty torch lighter and burn the little bugger.

The Record Searchlight reported things went awry when the spider, now aflame, ran about, and set the mattress on fire. 

The burning mattress was extinguished but by this time, the burning arachnid had crawled over to the curtains and set them alight.

There's a lesson for all of us there.

Featured Image Credit: Montgomery County Fire and Rescue

Topics: Animals, US News, Weird

Dominic Smithers

Dominic Smithers is LADbible's Editorial Lead. After graduating from the University of Leeds with a degree in French and History, he went on to write for the Manchester Evening News, the Accrington Observer and the Macclesfield Express. So as you can imagine, he’s spent many a night wondering just how useful that second language has been. But c'est la vie.

@SmithersDom