A man who was housesitting for his parents set their home on fire when he tried to kill a spider using a blowtorch, firefighters believe.
The blaze prompted 29 firefighters into action as flames damaged the second floor and attic of the property, KFSN TV reported.
A number of black widow spiders on the outside wall of the building are said to have been the target of the blowtorch.
The fire service which attended the incident in Fresno, California, warned arachnophobes not to use the same tactic to try and get rid of the eight-legged creatures.
Fresno City Firefighters, on Facebook, wrote: “Please don't use a blowtorch to kill spiders.”
Reacting to the post, one person said: "I prefer a Bazooka gun over a torch, actually..."
Another suggested the man should have used a shoe to squash them while one said they felt sorry for his parents.
It was reported that nobody was injured in the fire.
The incident happened on Thursday night and is still being investigated, but the fire service believed the blowtorch incident to be the most probable cause.
Black widow spiders are considered the most venomous in North America and the bites of females can be dangerous to humans.
