Arachnophobia was taken to expensive new levels when a tourist accidentally burned down his $230,000 Balinese villa when trying to scare away spiders.
The 45-year-old visitor reportedly set fire to a piece of paper in an attempt to get rid of spiders lurking in the bathroom of his holiday accommodation in North Kuta.
But the plan backfired spectacularly when the flames spread to the villa’s thatched roof, destroying the property and its contents.
According to reports by The Bali Sun, the incident happened when the Nepalese tourist lit the paper in the bathroom before leaving it unattended and moving to another room.
Strong winds are believed to have carried the burning paper towards the roof, which was made from alang-alang grass, a traditional roofing material that can catch fire rapidly. The blaze quickly took hold, leaving the luxury villa in ruins.
Firefighters were called to the scene and managed to bring the fire under control with the assistance of local residents. No-one was injured in the blaze.
