This is an actual news story, not an allegory for the Iraq war:
WHEN his wife screamed there was a spider in the house, Chris Welding sprang to her defence, nearly killing himself in the process.
The IT engineer chased the spider into their bathroom in Clacton, Essex, England.
Wielding a flammable aerosol can, he sprayed the spider as it cowered behind the toilet pan and then lit a cigarette lighter to see if he had killed it.
However, the flame ignited the gas and caused a massive explosion blow Mr Welding off his feet and into the hall, causing severe burns, and lifting the loft door off its hinges. ...
A fire brigade spokesman said firemen found no evidence of the spider, dead or alive.
"We're not entirely sure whether the spider got away or not but there was no sign of it at the scene," said the Essex Fire Service spokesman.
I have actually used this method to kill spiders on many occasions.