Man trying to kill spider with a lighter ignites 60-acre wildfire, Utah sheriff says

A man who tried to kill a spider with a lighter ignited a 60-acre wildfire on a Springville hillside, Utah sheriff’s officials reported.

Firefighters responding to the fire at a trailhead near Springville about 5 p.m. Monday, Aug, 1, encountered a man with a dog who told them he’d started the blaze, KSL reported.

Utah County sheriff’s deputies arrested the man, who also was found to have drugs and paraphernalia, the sheriff’s office said on Twitter.

“In this case his actions were more than, ‘Oops, I accidentally started a fire.’ It was reckless to do what he was doing in the way he was doing it,” Sgt. Spencer Cannon told KUTV. “I’m not sure why he felt the need to burn the spider.”

The sheriff’s office did not release the man’s name or charges.

The blaze burned about 60 acres, Utah Fire Info reported on Twitter.

A rainstorm eventually helped douse the wildfire, KSTU reported.

Springville, population 33,000, is south of Provo and Salt Lake City.

This story was originally published August 2, 2022 at 10:13 AM with the headline "Man trying to kill spider with a lighter ignites 60-acre wildfire, Utah sheriff says."