Tourist in Bali tried to chase a spider away and ended up burning down a $112,000 villa

Sometimes even a well-intentioned prevention action can turn destructive. On October 5, 45-year-old Gaorap Rana accidentally burned down a villa in Bali in an attempt to chase a spider away with a burning piece of paper. Residents living nearby witnessed clouds of smoke billowing from the villa. Some of them showed up with a hose to spray water on the burning property. In the end, although Rana escaped and survived, the house was left with blackened walls and charred floors, according to an October 13, 2026 report by news.com.au.

When prevention turned into destruction

Rana was in North Kuta, Bali, for a holiday when he spotted a spider in the bathroom of his villa in a popular destination. To drive away the creature, he set a spark to a piece of paper. The strong winds carried that spark to the villa’s thatched roof and ended up igniting the entire house, causing an estimated $111,000 in damage (2 billion Indonesian rupiah). The flames spread rapidly through the thatched structure, destroying the villa within minutes.

Catalyzing factors

“After burning the paper, the victim left the bathroom and went to the work room. The burning paper was apparently carried by strong winds and caught the thatched roof,” Badung Police spokesperson Ipda Ni Nyoman Yuni Eltari told The Bali Sun. Added to the strong winds, the roof’s material became a catalyst for the fire to spread. Also known by names like cogon grass, blady grass, kunai grass, and alang-alang, it is a type of perennial grass. According to Perth Now, it is a traditional roofing material that is highly flammable.

All because spiders are so....scary

Fear of spiders is common, although estimates vary depending on the population studied and how the fear is measured. Research cited by BMC Psychiatry has reported prevalence estimates ranging from about 2.7% to 14% across different study groups.

Thankfully, in this case, no other surrounding properties were damaged in the incident. No injuries were reported either. It has not been specified whether any action will be taken against Rana.

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