AN ESSEX, ENGLAND, MAN WAS DISPATCHED BY HIS WIFE to chase down and kill a spider that was lurking behind the toilet and creating angst in the household. Chris Welding, 28, sprang into action and chased the critter down, cornering it behind the toilet where it was out of reach for a mighty swat. So the IT engineer got an aerosol can of deodorant and sprayed it heavily in the area hoping to successfully cover the arachnid with poison.
As it happened, the bathroom light bulb was burned out also and the Mighty Hunter couldn’t see if he had bagged it. So he lit a cigarette lighter and held it in the area that was unfortunately still bathed in the flammable aerosol vapors. A spokesman for the Essex Fire Service related what happened to reporters:
”It appears the wife had spotted the creepy crawly in the bathroom and asked her husband to capture it. He sprayed it first with an aerosol where it was lurking behind the toilet bowl and when that didn’t appear to work, he lit up his lighter to spread some light on the situation as the bathroom bulb had blown.”There was an almighty explosion which blew the man back into his hallway and lifted the hatch on the loft. He did exactly the right thing by jumping into the shower and cooling his burns with cold water while his wife raised the alarm.”
“We’re not entirely sure whether the spider got away or not, but there was no sign of it at the scene,” he added.
There was some scorching on the wall behind the toilet, but the fire was out by the time the firefighters arrived. They gave Welding first aid treatment for burns to his hands and face, and awaited for the ambulance. He was treated for the burns and released later Monday night after being checked to see if he had inhaled any of the vapors or combustion.
Knight-Errant Chris Welding poses before the battle zone.
After the fire department cleared the scene and left, Welding “fessed up” and admitted that he had tried to use the aerosol as a blowtorch to incinerate the beast. Welding then told other press reporters:
‘It was about 10.30pm last night. My wife was getting ready for bed and suddenly she let out a scream. She said there was a spider in the bathroom and asked me to get rid of it – neither she or the kids would go in there. The spider had crawled into the recess behind the loo and there was no way I could get to it.
‘Stupid as it is, I grabbed a can of deodorant and a lighter and sprayed it behind the loo. The flame shot out and went round the back of the toilet and came back out at me. It was a bit of a shock. I’ve got two burned fingers and a burned knuckle. I wasn’t badly injured but they wanted to check I hadn’t inhaled any of the fumes.
The Daily Mail has the updated STORY.
