He lost his house killing a spider

Removal strategies for said spider range from the pacifist's trap it in a glass and release method to the poisoner's drown it in bug spray technique. And there's always the sure fire whack it with a rolled up newspaper approach.

For one American man none of these methods were apparently good enough and instead he chose a blow torch to remove the spiders and the pesky webs from under his home in Tucson, Arizona.

The resulting inferno created a blaze that required 23 firefighters to contain. He and an elderly lady were forced to flee their home which was burnt to the ground.

The woman is reported to have suffered minor injuries and was treated by paramedics at the scene of the blaze. No other injuries were reported.

Shockingly this isn't the first time someone's lost their house trying to kill bugs.

In July 2014 another American man, this time from Seattle, caused over $75,000 to his house by attacking a spider with a lighter and a can of spray paint.

The fire service took the opportunity to warn others that fire is NOT the way to get rid of creepy crawlies.

Kyle Moore, from the Seattle Fire Department, said: 'There are safer, more effective ways to kill a spider than using fire.'