Wasp nest removal sparks house fire

Aug. 8, 2017, Thunder Bay, Ont. – Officials in Thunder Bay, Ont., say a local resident lit his house on fire in an ill-advised effort to get rid of a wasp’s nest.

Fire Chief John Hay says the resident opted to tackle the nest, which was on the ground near their home, by pouring gasoline on it on Monday.

He says the fire quickly spread from the nest and wound up damaging the resident’s home.

Fire crews extinguished the blaze, but had to strip siding off the house in order to put out the fire that was threatening to engulf an interior wall.

No one was injured in the fire.

Hay says the department is investigating whether or not to lay charges in an incident he described as both stupid and dangerous.

”I don’t get surprised any more, but this is especially dumb,” Hay said. ”That’s probably in my top 10 for my career, and I’ve been around a long time.”

Hay says gasoline is extremely dangerous and produces volatile fumes, adding the risk increases when temperatures are high.