Petrol poured on ants' nest causes fire

The unnamed resident of Pear Tree Avenue, Bramley tried to oust the insects with flame, but ended up torching a hedge and his neighbour’s patio furniture.

The out-of-control blaze also damaged window frames and guttering on the semi-detached house at around 8pm last Thursday.

Firefighters from Maltby station attended, taking around half an hour to put out the fire with a hose reel.

Petrol evaporates very quickly, filling the air with flammable vapours. Lighting it creates a fireball which can rise many metres from the liquid fuel.

A South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue spokesman warned against using volatile liquids on fires and barbecues.

“We always tell people never to use petrol or other accelerants to get a fire going,” he said, "but using petrol to eliminate an ants nest has to be a first for us.

“The incident is a classic example of how even a small fire can so quickly develop into a much more serious incident.”