You know how it is. There’s a snake in your house, and the only way to get rid of it is to try to set it on fire. Happens to all of us.
And it looks like someone in Finland on Monday, June 18, has had the same problem. As reported by the Associated Press, the unnamed person found a snake in their garden, and tried to spray it with gasoline to get rid of it.
However, “some of the flammable liquid spread by [the] ill-fated homeowner in Siuntio, west of Helsinki, landed on a nearby lawn mower that was warm enough to ignite a fire,” they reported.
Extremely dry conditions coupled with the house being made of wood meant that the fire spread quickly up the exterior and into the attic.
It’s not clear what type of snake it was, nor if the snake survived the blaze. The most common snakes in Finland are grass snakes, smooth snakes, and adders (which can be venomous), so it was likely one of those.
Finnish broadcaster YLE said the homeowner tried to extinguish the blaze by spraying it with water from a hose before fire services arrived and put it out.
The interior was not affected, and it wasn’t noted if there were any injuries, but damages were estimated to reach about $17,000.
“The extremely dry conditions have caused many brush fires across the country in recent weeks,” said YLE. “Monday was a particularly busy day for Finnish fire-fighters, with some 30 units being called out simultaneously to various fires that required attention.
“Due to the drought-like conditions, the Department for Rescue Services continues to urge residents to be particularly careful with fires.”
Especially if you're trying to get rid of a snake, they didn't add, but we imagine they were thinking.
