Aussie man blows up house trying to kill cockroaches using fly spray as a flamethrower

A man in Australia blew up his kitchen while trying to kill cockroaches, using a can of fly spray as a flamethrower.

The explosion happened around 8pm on Wednesday night, in Mt Isa, Queensland.

There were three children in the house at the time, aged 9, 11, and 17, who all escaped unharmed.

The man suffered abrasions to his face and arms and had to be taken to hospital.

"It looks like the guy was using pest spray in the kitchen, then a flame was lit, which caused a small fire," a police spokesman said.

The explosion caused extensive damage to the house, with windows completely blown out and holes through the walls.

Police say the man failed to follow the instructions in the fly spray can.

"Well the instructions are put on these things for a purpose, and failure to follow them can result in, as it did in this case, extreme damage to the property," officer Ian Louden told the ABC.

"It didn't travel very far, but it was a very vicious explosion in the area where it was."