Why you should never use a blow torch to kill a spider

An American man went to great lengths to kill spiders in the middle of the night. His weapon of choice led to him losing his home.

A man who tried to "kill spiders with a blow torch" has burned his house to the ground after creating an inferno that required 23 firefighters to contain.

The incident happened in Tucson, Arizona after a man was suspected of using a propane torch to kill spiders and burn spiderwebs underneath the mobile home.

The blaze that resulted forced him and an elderly woman out of their home, which was completely gutted.

Fire crews were called to the address in Tucson on East East Blacklidge Drive by a 911 call at around 9.19pm on Monday night, local time.

When firefighters arrived they say they saw the elderly woman being carried out of the burning home by her son and neighbours.

The woman suffered minor injuries, the Tucson Fire Department confirmed according to KVOA. She was treated by paramedics as the scene of the blaze. No other injuries were reported.

It took 11 minutes and 23 firefighters to put out the fire.

The cause of the fire is under investigation although fire officials were reported as saying they suspected the fire was started by the propane torch by a person who was attempting to burn the spiders.

According to reports, the Red Cross is assisting two people displaced by the fire. The cost of the damage caused by the fire has not been released.