Man Tries To Kill Spider With Blow Torch - Burns His House Down Instead

Source –  One man found out the hard way the true danger of a blow torch when he tried to destroy spiders in his home using fire. The unnamed man, from Tucson, Arizona, US, was suspected of using a propane torch to kill spiders and burn spiderwebs underneath his mobile home.

But instead his house caught fire, with the blaze tearing through the inside, leaving it completely gutted. Fire crews were called to the blaze and when they arrived, described seeing the woman being carried out of the burning house by her son and several neighbours. 

It took firefighters 11 minutes to put out the fire, but by that time, the inferno had ripped through the entire home. Spider mating season, which hits in October, sees arachnids measuring around 8cm invading our homes and getting down to it. 

Using a flame thrower to kill a spider is the equivalent of using an anti aircraft missile to kill your brother in law. Looking at you, K.J.. I mean, I get it, propane blow torches are fun but it’s still overkill. We used to make WD-40 flame-throwers (white trash alert) to burn sticks in the backyard. The most out of control it ever got was when the neighborhood scumbag lit a roll of paper towels on fire and threw it at the house. We were ten. Problem here is this guy’s not ten. I’m guessing he’s well into his fifties based on the fact that he was living with his mother and adult son. Which is completely normal if you’re an Italian from Long Island but the cultural norms are different in Arizona. Don’t get me wrong, it sucks his house burned down but it’s hard to feel bad for a guy who thinks it’s a good idea to crawl under his DESERT home with a vat full of propane and book of matches. Even Hansel would be disappointed.

Personally, I’m a catch-and-release guy. There’s an old bible verse that stuck with me since I read it five minutes ago.  Deuteronomy 25:4 “You shall not muzzle an ox when it is treading out the grain.” Which basically translates to don’t put a muzzle on a spider. Muzzle meaning flame thrower. If our suspect had read the bible he’d have known that.

The only other explanation for his behavior is that he did it on purpose. Like in the Sopranos when Ralphie burnt down Tony’s barn to get the insurance money. Having said that, I could spend all day trying to get in his head but chances are he just really doesn’t like spiders. Hopefully next time he’ll use a shoe.