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Man trying to kill spider sets apartment on fire, tenants forced to move out

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REDDING, Calif. – A Northern California man determined to exterminate a spider ended up setting fire to his own apartment Sunday, according to the Redding Record Searchlight.

“It was a huge wolf spider,” said Lyndsey Wisegarver, a caregiver to one of the residents of the apartment that caught fire.

Wisegarver told the paper that another resident used a torch-style lighter to try and kill the arachnid after spotting it in an upstairs bedroom.  The flame didn’t kill the spider instantly, however – the burning arachnid reportedly ran onto a mattress, setting it on fire. Wisegarver said the fire also spread to the drapes and a flag collection.

After tenants failed to put out the blaze using a garden hose, Redding firefighters responded and managed to extinguish the fire before it spread to other units. The fire caused an estimated $11,000 in damage.

The residents were forced to evacuate the unit, which is now uninhabitable, according to KRCR.  Authorities continued to investigate the fire Monday.