# I bet some of y'all think this guy wasn't out of line at all for trying to kill a spider with fire **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [July 16, 2014, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-bet-some-of-yall-think-this-guy-wasnt-out-of-line-at-all-for-trying-to-kill-a-spider-with-fire/693292 "2014-07-16T18:45:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2014, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-bet-some-of-yall-think-this-guy-wasnt-out-of-line-at-all-for-trying-to-kill-a-spider-with-fire/693292/1 "2014-07-16T18:45:16Z")
I mean, he burned his house to the ground, but he did kill the spider. [ > [@](#): > > A man who used a can of spray paint and a lighter as a makeshift blowtorch to kill a spider in his laundry room started a blaze that caused $60,000 worth of damage, Seattle fire officials said Wednesday. > [@](#): > > Moore said the man used the spray paint and lighter as “a self-made blowtorch to kill a spider in the laundry room” of a rental house. > > “I don’t want to encourage people to do this, but that’s what he did,” Moore said Wednesday. “The spider tried to get into the wall. He sprayed flames on the wall, lit the wall on fire, and that extended up to the ceiling.” > [@](#): > > “There are safer, more effective ways to kill a spider than using fire,” Moore said. “Fire is not the method to use to kill a spider.” ]([http://bigstory.ap.org/article/man-trying-kill-spider-caused-house-fire](http://bigstory.ap.org/article/man-trying-kill-spider-caused-house-fire))I’ve known people who would have said that this was a fair trade, as long as the spider was dead in the end. :rolleyes: 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2014, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-bet-some-of-yall-think-this-guy-wasnt-out-of-line-at-all-for-trying-to-kill-a-spider-with-fire/693292/2 "2014-07-16T18:58:44Z")
Wait, he used a can of spray paint!? Dude’s lucky he didn’t end as a Darwin Award candidate by exploding it! ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2014, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-bet-some-of-yall-think-this-guy-wasnt-out-of-line-at-all-for-trying-to-kill-a-spider-with-fire/693292/3 "2014-07-16T18:59:43Z")
Should’ve used a nuke. ---
**Author:** ![Octarine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/22d042/32.png) [@Octarine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Octarine)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2014, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-bet-some-of-yall-think-this-guy-wasnt-out-of-line-at-all-for-trying-to-kill-a-spider-with-fire/693292/4 "2014-07-16T19:01:20Z")
To be fair, the article didn’t mention what kind of spider it was. I mean, if it was one of those big black ones with the creepy legs . . . ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2014, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-bet-some-of-yall-think-this-guy-wasnt-out-of-line-at-all-for-trying-to-kill-a-spider-with-fire/693292/5 "2014-07-16T19:38:08Z")
> [@Octarine](#): > > To be fair, the article didn’t mention what kind of spider it was. I mean, if it was one of those big black ones with the creepy legs . . . Totally! Did he mention if it was hairy? Or pointy?!! ---
**Author:** ![joyfool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/df788c/32.png) [@joyfool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joyfool)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2014, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-bet-some-of-yall-think-this-guy-wasnt-out-of-line-at-all-for-trying-to-kill-a-spider-with-fire/693292/6 "2014-07-16T19:41:41Z")
Hey, ya gotta do what ya gotta do. Spiders. Ugh. ---
**Author:** ![Icarus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/icarus/32/72_2.png) [@Icarus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Icarus)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2014, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-bet-some-of-yall-think-this-guy-wasnt-out-of-line-at-all-for-trying-to-kill-a-spider-with-fire/693292/7 "2014-07-16T19:42:30Z")
> [@Skywatcher](#): > > Wait, he used a can of spray paint!? Dude’s lucky he didn’t end as a Darwin Award candidate by exploding it! Nah, the propellant keeps the flame traveling away. We used to do hairspray flamethrowers, much cheaper than spray paint. ---
**Author:** ![pbbth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f9ae1b/32.png) [@pbbth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pbbth)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2014, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-bet-some-of-yall-think-this-guy-wasnt-out-of-line-at-all-for-trying-to-kill-a-spider-with-fire/693292/8 "2014-07-16T19:52:24Z")
Didn’t our own\*\* Hal Briston\*\* do this and light his curtains on fire once? ---
**Author:** ![Randolph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Randolph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Randolph)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2014, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-bet-some-of-yall-think-this-guy-wasnt-out-of-line-at-all-for-trying-to-kill-a-spider-with-fire/693292/9 "2014-07-16T19:53:08Z")
> [@Icarus](#): > > Nah, the propellant keeps the flame traveling away. It’s more than the propellant - the fire just won’t migrate into the pinhole that the spray emits from. I remember watching someone try to deliberately explode a spray can back in high school - he ended up with an intact spray can with a melted nozzle on top. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2014, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-bet-some-of-yall-think-this-guy-wasnt-out-of-line-at-all-for-trying-to-kill-a-spider-with-fire/693292/10 "2014-07-16T20:00:42Z")
> [@Randolph](#): > > It’s more than the propellant - the fire just won’t migrate into the pinhole that the spray emits from. I remember watching someone try to deliberately explode a spray can back in high school - he ended up with an intact spray can with a melted nozzle on top. It’s even more than _that_… There’s no air inside the can, so it can’t explode. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2014, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-bet-some-of-yall-think-this-guy-wasnt-out-of-line-at-all-for-trying-to-kill-a-spider-with-fire/693292/11 "2014-07-16T20:06:31Z")
[There’s more than one way to explode a can of spray paint.](http://www.chemaxx.com/aerosol8a.htm) ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2014, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-bet-some-of-yall-think-this-guy-wasnt-out-of-line-at-all-for-trying-to-kill-a-spider-with-fire/693292/12 "2014-07-16T20:14:03Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > Should’ve used a nuke. > [@Octarine](#): > > To be fair, the article didn’t mention what kind of spider it was. I mean, if it was one of those big black ones with the creepy legs . . . > [@cmyk](#): > > Totally! > Did he mention if it was hairy? Or pointy?!! > [@faithfool](#): > > Hey, ya gotta do what ya gotta do. Spiders. Ugh. The lot of you can go pound it! :mad: :mad: :mad: ---
**Author:** ![74westy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/74westy/32/3950_2.png) [@74westy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/74westy)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2014, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-bet-some-of-yall-think-this-guy-wasnt-out-of-line-at-all-for-trying-to-kill-a-spider-with-fire/693292/13 "2014-07-16T20:25:20Z")
> [@pbbth](#): > > Didn’t our own\*\* Hal Briston\*\* do this and light his curtains on fire once? I think that was just someone claiming to be **Hal Briston**. ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2014, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-bet-some-of-yall-think-this-guy-wasnt-out-of-line-at-all-for-trying-to-kill-a-spider-with-fire/693292/14 "2014-07-16T20:30:14Z")
Will **Hal Briston** ever learn his lesson? > **[It's Time To Play "Spot The Crime"!](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=426750)** > > That’s right, contestants – you’re going to be shown three photographs which may or may not be of a suspicious nature. It’s your job to Spot The Crime! Is everyone ready? Alright then, let’s begin! Our first photograph is of a window curtain. As... > **[Well, Looks Like This May Be One Of My Final Posts Here...](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=432750)** > > …because I see no way that I’ll be surviving the next 24 hours. But before I meet my fate, let me tell you of how I stared down Death, and fucked up royally: I had just pulled a load of my daughter’s clothes from the dryer and went into her room to... ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2014, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-bet-some-of-yall-think-this-guy-wasnt-out-of-line-at-all-for-trying-to-kill-a-spider-with-fire/693292/15 "2014-07-16T20:31:18Z")
> [@74westy](#): > > I think that was just someone claiming to be **Hal Briston**. That was the infamous sheep love incident. ---
**Author:** ![joyfool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/df788c/32.png) [@joyfool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joyfool)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2014, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-bet-some-of-yall-think-this-guy-wasnt-out-of-line-at-all-for-trying-to-kill-a-spider-with-fire/693292/16 "2014-07-16T20:37:32Z")
> [@Spiderman](#): > > The lot of you can go pound it! :mad: :mad: :mad: Spiderman is totally different! Nice webs. ---
**Author:** ![Ranger\_Jeff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranger_jeff/32/2065_2.png) [@Ranger\_Jeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranger_Jeff)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2014, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-bet-some-of-yall-think-this-guy-wasnt-out-of-line-at-all-for-trying-to-kill-a-spider-with-fire/693292/17 "2014-07-16T22:20:20Z")
I don’t think there’s such a thing as too much force when facing a spider the size of a Buick. Would ratshot work on smaller arachnids? ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2014, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-bet-some-of-yall-think-this-guy-wasnt-out-of-line-at-all-for-trying-to-kill-a-spider-with-fire/693292/18 "2014-07-16T23:13:36Z")
Would have been really funny if the spider had survived. ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2014, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-bet-some-of-yall-think-this-guy-wasnt-out-of-line-at-all-for-trying-to-kill-a-spider-with-fire/693292/19 "2014-07-17T01:47:34Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > Would have been really funny if the spider had survived. No! That’s how they mutate into fire-resistant demon devil spiders from hell the size of Jeff Goldblum’s hand! ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2014, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-bet-some-of-yall-think-this-guy-wasnt-out-of-line-at-all-for-trying-to-kill-a-spider-with-fire/693292/20 "2014-07-17T01:54:12Z")
Pyrrhic victory. High cost:casualty ratio. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-bet-some-of-yall-think-this-guy-wasnt-out-of-line-at-all-for-trying-to-kill-a-spider-with-fire/693292.md?page=2)