US man ‘caused wildfire by burning spider’
A Utah man has been arrested and charged, amid accusations he sparked a massive wildfire while trying to burn a spider with his lighter.
Cory Allan Martin, 26, told deputies that he saw the spider on Monday (local time) while he was in a hiking area in the foothills south of Salt Lake City near the city of Springville, according to a police statement.
He acknowledged starting the fire but didn’t explain why he was trying to burn the spider.
Deputies found a jar of marijuana in Mr Martin’s belongings but he didn’t appear to be high, Utah County Sheriff’s Sergeant Spencer Cannon said.
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There was no evidence to suggest Mr Martin intentionally started the blaze, Sergeant Cannon said, but he called it a reckless and puzzling decision.
The area, like most of Utah, is bone dry amid extreme drought conditions.
“What led him to stop and notice a spider and decide to try to burn it, we don’t know,” Sergeant Cannon said.
“There may not be a why. He might not even know a why.”
Mr Martin was arrested on suspicion of reckless burn and possessing marijuana and drug paraphernalia, court documents show.
He was in the Utah County jail on Tuesday on nearly $US2000 ($2900) bail. It was unknown if he had a lawyer.
The wildfire quickly spread up the mountain and had burned more than 24 hectares as of Tuesday, according to fire officials. No homes had been damaged.