California Man Uses Blowtorch on Spiders, Sets House on Fire

In an attempt to kill black widow spiders with a blowtorch, a Californian man set fire to his home in Fresno on Oct. 23.

The 23 to 24-year-old man was house-sitting for his parents when he grew concerned about the spiders in and around his house, said Fresno Fire Department Capt. Rob Castillo.

To kill the spiders and to clear their webs, he used a blowtorch on the cracks found in the brick veneer outside his garage. As he sent the flame shooting into the crack, it ran up vertically into the attic, setting the house on fire.

The second floor and the home’s attic suffered the worst damage.

Fortunately, Castillo said that nobody was injured. “It’s estimated probably about $10,000 worth of damage was caused,” he added.

More Than Once

This is the second spider related house fire in the state of California this year. On Jan. 7, in Reddington, two men used a torch lighter to kill a large wolf spider, ultimately setting flame to their apartment and forcing other residents to evacuate.

Officials were quoted in a local Reddington article saying that “residents tried to put the fire out with a garden hose, but were unsuccessful.” Officials also said the fire caused around $11,000 in damages.

There have been at least four reported incidences of spider related house fires in the United States since 2014. Other cases were reported in Arizona and Washington State.

Tens of thousands of dollars in damages have been caused due to the unconventional handling of arachnids in these three states.

Castillo doesn’t know where this thinking comes from. It’s important to know that using an open flame around combustible materials can ultimately lead to a fire.

“[U]sing any kind of open flame to get rid of spiders is a horrible idea ... It sounds like a horrible idea.”