Ohio boy sets apartment on fire trying to kill bed bug

Aris Folley
Updated

A 13-year-old boy from Ohio caused $300,000 in damage after sparking an apartment building blaze in efforts to kill a bed bug.

Local fire officials said they responded to the fire Tuesday night when the boy reportedly set the building aflame after putting a lit match to a bed bug doused in alcohol, Fox 19 reported.

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“This was accidental. He wasn’t in there just playing with matches,” District 3 Chief Marc Monahan told the local Cincinnati outlet. “It wasn’t the smartest thing, obviously, but he was trying to get rid of a bed bug.”

According to the fire department, the young boy figured the flame would send the bed bug back to wherever he came from.

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Unfortunately, the noble boy's efforts were thwarted after the match caught his bed on fire, which later spread from his home to six others.

The American Red Cross is reportedly assisting the displaced residents.

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