Arachnophobic Detroit man tries to kill spider with lighter, burns gas pump instead

Some spider species such as the tarantula can be deadly if it bites a human, which is probably the reason why a Detroit an attempted to burn an arachnid he saw inside his car. However, he apparently forgot that he was at the Mobile gas station in Center Line.

Surveillance video of the establishment showed flames erupting from the car’s sides, the gas pump and the pavement. The man is shown running for his safety, reports Yahoo News.

CBS reports that the fire burst came from the car’s gas tank which spread to the gas pump nearby. He first pulled his car out of the way and then proceeded to stop the further spread of the fire.

Fortunately, the man was also quick-thinking enough to use a fire extinguisher to put out the flames he started. Likewise, gas station attendant Susan Adams hit the pump’s stop button and called firefighters. By the time the fire truck arrived, the fire was out, but the pump was destroyed.

He initially lied to investigators that the cause of the fire was static on his hands. But he later admitted that it was a spider that cause him to panic because of his phobia of spiders.

The man’s car had little damage and he was not hurt. He returned to the gas station the next day to apologise, Adams said. Insurance would cover the cost of repairing the gas pump. So far, no charges have been filed against the man with arachnophobia.

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