Man starts gas station blaze trying to kill spider with lighter

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CENTER LINE, Mich. – A man tried to kill a spider at a gas station using a lighter causing a dangerous fire. Using a lighter to kill the bug, he started a blaze that quickly engulfed the gas pump. He somehow escaped serious injury and the gas station’s damage was contained to one pump, which was destroyed. The incident was recorded at a Center Line gas station. Employee Susan Adams kept calm and hit the gas automatic stop button and quickly called the Center Line fire department. The man grabbed a nearby extinguisher and put out the flames before firefighters arrived. Later he admitted what he did, saying he spotted a spider on his gas tank and because he’s deathly afraid of the critters he pulled out his lighter and decided to burn it. You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to figure out what happened next. We are told his car was barely damaged from the flames.

Cluster Fly Invasion

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Get ready for a fly invasion!

Do you have flies hibernating in your home in late summer/fall?  Your new house pests may be attic flies or cluster flies.  Adult cluster flies gather in clusters in warm buildings to overwinter.  They are considered a household nuisance. The name is derived from tight “clusters” made by hibernating individuals in wall voids or attics, throughout Canada, most of the United States and Europe.  On the first warm days of spring you may notice cluster flies gather outdoors, buzzing on lawns. They may also congregate in huge numbers on sunny walls in the fall.

The adult cluster fly looks like a very large house fly. The difference is that at rest, the fly overlaps its wing tips over the abdomen, like a pair of scissors, while the house fly does not. The cluster fly is dark gray to almost black with a checkered grayish abdomen. There are numerous short crinkly golden hairs on the sides of the thorax. In old specimens, these can be rubbed off. The fly is a sluggish flyer, buzzing loudly while flying aimlessly in concentric circles in buildings. Although this pest is less hazardous than other infestations, you don’t want cluster flies in your home or building.