A mother and son in Alabama accidentally burned down their house Monday because they decided to clean up a mess of toilet paper in a tree by setting it on fire, WBRC News reports.

Cheryl Crausewell told the TV station that some neighbourhood kids had toilet-papered her yard and house in Dora, Ala., on Saturday.

She and her son cleaned up much of the toilet paper, but there was still some stuck in a magnolia tree so they lit the paper on fire, the station reported.

A piece of the burning paper blew onto the lawn and the grass ignited.

"It just popped out into a little patch and we tried to put it out and it just kept going," Crausewell told the station.

The fire quickly spread to the backyard, where authorities believe the propane barbecue made matters worse.

The fire burned for more than four hours. Nobody was injured.