Whether it's snakes on a plane or snakes near your house, one thing's for sure: lighting them on fire is probably not such a good idea.

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Whether it’s snakes on a plane or snakes near your house, one thing’s for sure: lighting them on fire is probably not such a good idea.

A Texas woman unfortunately discovered this the hard way, squaring off with a snake near her home while working in her yard. According to a local official, while the woman was doing some cleaning work, she encountered the snake, which she doused in gasoline before lighting it on fire. The flaming snake then slithered into a brush pile by the house, igniting it and the house in a conflagration that quickly spread, eventually damaging a neighboring home.

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Shreveport-based CBS affiliate KSLA reports that while several firefighters battled to extinguish the fire, the flames “completely engulfed the house,” and — tragically — that it’s “a complete loss.” The fire occurred in the Liberty Eylau area of Texarkana just before 7 p.m. Thursday night.

According to Fox affiliate KOKH-TV, the woman explains what she was trying to do in the 911 call:

“We were trying to kill a snake with fire … It done caught the house …” says the woman.

“Caught the house?” says the dispatcher.

“Yes, the house is on fire. Could you hurry up please?”

Authorities are still investigating, but local fire chief David Wesslehoft said while animals are known for spreading fires, this is his first time he’s found a snake behind the accident: “Yes, it could happen with rabbits and big field mice. Once they start burning the grass, they get out of their hole, they have been known to catch fire and then take off.” No word, apparently, on whether charges will be filed — or on what happened to the snake.

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