Spider scare sets Bali villa ablaze after paper lit
SingTao · 1 SOURCESabout 4 hours ago2 MIN
Summary
A fire at a villa in North Kuta, Bali, destroyed the property after a tourist tried to chase away a spider and its web with burning paper on October 5. Police said the man left the lit paper behind, and strong wind apparently carried it onto the thatched roof, where the blaze spread rapidly. Authorities estimated the loss at about 2 billion Indonesian rupiah, or roughly HK$880,000, while no injuries were reported
Key Points
- The incident happened around midday on October 5 at a guesthouse villa in North Kuta, a district on Indonesia's resort island of Bali
- Police identified the tourist as 45-year-old Nepali man Gaorap Rana, who found a spider and web in a bathroom corner
- Rana lit a piece of paper to drive the spider away, then left for the next room while the paper was still burning
- Investigators said strong wind likely blew the burning paper onto the alang-alang thatched roof, igniting a fast-moving fire in hot, dry conditions
- Firefighters arrived to find the luxury villa almost completely destroyed; Rana escaped safely, nearby homes were unaffected, and nobody was hurt
Why It Matters
For Hong Kong travellers heading to Southeast Asian holiday villas, the case is a reminder that traditional thatched-roof properties can burn extremely quickly once ignited. It also underlines how a small attempt to deal with insects or spiders can turn into major property damage, with possible legal consequences still unclear in this case