A British man has set fire to his house after trying to get rid of an ants nest by dousing it with petrol and lighting it.
The incident in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, follows a similar blaze earlier this week in Bridgend, South Wales, when a man managed to start a fire at his home as he tried to kill a spider with an aerosol spray.
South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue said they were called out to the house in Pear Tree Avenue, Bramley, Rotherham, at about 8pm on Thursday night.
A spokesman said the man had initially set light to his hedge but this spread to the outside of his house.
"The resident set light to the petrol, but the resulting fire spread to a garden hedge which burnt fiercely, melting plastic guttering, a plastic window frame and a garden chair," he said.
He said the crew only needed a hose to put out the flames.
"We always tell people never to use petrol or other accelerants to 'get a fire going', but using petrol to eliminate an ants nest has to be a first for us," he said.
"The incident is a classic example of how even a small fire can so quickly develop into a much more serious incident."
On Tuesday, firefighters were called to an address Bridgend after smoke was spotted billowing from a rear window.
They were stunned to discover that the fire started when a man sprayed a spider with an aerosol before setting it alight.
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