Fire-fighters were called to the scene of the blaze, caused when the West Seattle man used to aerosol spray can with a lighter as a man-made blowtorch in an attempt to kill a spider in the laundry.

Seattle Fire Investigators evacuated nearby homes and moved onlookers back after receiving reports that there may be ammunition and firearms stored inside the house.

Kyle Moore of the Seattle Fire Department gave details of the incident to local media, but said he didn’t “want to encourage people” to follow the man’s action.

‘"The spider tried to get into the wall,” he said.

“He sprayed flames on the wall, lit the wall on fire, and that extended up to the ceiling… Fire is not the method to use to kill a spider.”

The blaze caused an estimated US$60,000 in damages to the one storey, rented house, but the tenant escaped uninjured.