Man sets fire to house trying to get rid of wasp nest

A homeowner in the north core of Thunder Bay, Ont., learned a costly lesson Monday about how not to get rid of a wasp nest.

Fire crews were called to a home on Rockwood Avenue after a man poured gasoline on a nest and set it on fire, only to ignite the home the nest was attached to, Thunder Bay Fire Rescue district chief John Kaplanis told CBC.

The fire itself caused little damage, but crews were forced to remove siding from the outside of the house and break through the interior wall in the basement in order to spray water into the frame to extinguish embers that had fallen into the wall, Kaplanis said.  

Nobody was injured in the fire, and nobody was stung by a wasp, he added. 

Crews thoroughly ventilated the house, and the occupants were able to return home. 

Kaplanis called the incident a "costly lesson learned" and said people hoping to rid themselves of pests such as wasps and hornets should call a professional pest control company or use a commercial insect repellent. 

"Applying gas and lighting it would not be recommended at any time," he said. "Things can go wrong in a hurry."