A man using a blowtorch to rid his home and yard of spiders has accidentally burned the place down, and we can’t say we half-blame him for resorting to such extreme measures because… spiders. Ugh.

Using a blowtorch to rid a home of spiders may seem at first glance to be a not very clever activity, given that most homes are made out of flammable things like wood, fiberglass, and are filled with people, which are also not flame-retardant.

However, spiders are also creepy-ass bastards that get all up in your personal space before bedtime and like to climb high up on walls where you can’t even reach them with a broom. The are also known to build their houses in lesser used parts of your house, making thousands of little tiny bitey baby spiders guaranteed to skitter across your bared forearm as you sleep. Oh, my God, kill it with fire…

…probably exactly what Eiliya Maida was thinking when he took a blowtorch to the multi-legged atrocities that were scheming in his yard. Maida attacked the little beasts with the blowtorch in his yard when dry plants ignited, quickly spreading to the attic and most likely ridding the home of spiders. As well as ridding it of the attic.

A local news source explains that the decision to blowtorch the spiders was an expensive one for the family:

“Firefighters extinguished the blaze by cutting a hole in the roof to draw the fire upward, said Chief Keith Carter of Chico Fire. Without the hole, the fire would have “mushroomed” and spread farther sideways in the attic…. Damages totaled $25,000 and also left the family displaced because of destroyed electrical wiring, Fire Inspector Marie Fickert said. The family is currently without insurance.”

It is believed the fire raged for several minutes before firefighters were summoned by the man’s brother-in-law, who spotted the blaze.