The serpent's revenge: Woman burns down her own home after she tries to kill snake by dousing it in gas and setting it on fire
By JOSHUA GARDNER
A woman who doused a snake in gasoline and lit it on fire got a rude awakening as the snake slithered away and caused an entire house to burn to the ground. The woman was cleaning her home when she happened on a snake. In a panic, the homeowner threw gasoline on the creature. Randall Baggett of the Bowie County, Texas Sheriff's Office explained what happened next.
'[She] lit the snake on fire,' Deputy Baggett told KSLA. 'Then the snake went into the brush pile and the brush pile caught the home on fire.' Firefighters responded to the fire around 7pm Wednesday. When they arrived to the residence, on Will Smith Road in the Liberty Eylau area of Bowie County, it was already engulfed in flames. A neighboring house was affected as well.
Thanks to the efforts of firefighters, the neighbor's home was only damaged on one side. However, they were unable to contain the first blaze and that home was totally lost. As strange as it sounds, one official said this isn't the first time he's seen an animal contribute to a fire. According to Liberty Eylau Fire Chief David Wesslehoft, the phenomenon isn't totally unheard of. 'It could happen with rabbits and big field mice,' he told KSLA. 'Once they start burning the grass, they get out of their hole, they have been known to catch fire and then take off.' Nonetheless, the fire chief admitted he'd never before seen a snake start a fire.
Meawhile, officials continue to investigate the incident. No word yet on whether charges will be brought against the woman.
