A man in the US state of Maryland experienced something  attempted to smoke out a snake infestation in his home, but instead burned down the entire 10,000-square-foot property. 

Snakes had been a consistent problem for this owner and the previous tenant, according to CNN. As a result, the man decided to use coals as a heat source in order to generate enough smoke to drive the snakes away. However, he placed the coals too close to combustible materials, causing the house to catch fire.

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Pete Piringer, the Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service’s chief spokesperson, posted several photos of the burned house on social media. The photos depicted the fire as it threatened to engulf the property, as well as what remained after the fire was extinguished. Fortunately, no human injuries have been reported. The status of snakes, on the other hand, remained unknown. 

The homeowner has been in excruciating pain as a result of this. Many people had interesting and humorous reactions to the homeowner’s decision not to try other, safer options.

A user said,  “Any idea how old that house was? Ours is ancient and I usually have to capture and release snakes every year. I’m not sure I ever would have tried smoking them out.”

“I mean idk [I don’t know], how about calling some kind of snake removal professional? She never thought about that?” another chimed in.

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This individual spoke on behalf of the snakes, claiming that the homeowner should have left them alone. 

However, one user joked that if his house had been infested with snakes, he would have burned it down as well. 

The fire began in the basement and spread rapidly throughout the multi-story house, but no one was home at the time. According to ABC News, the damages will cost more than $1 million (Rs. 7.52 crores). The house was just bought for $1.8 million (Rs. 13.55 crores).