Fire Service spokesman Pete Berenger said the homeowner tried to get rid of a snake colony with the help of smoke, which was an ongoing problem for the home’s previous tenant.

The homeowner used charcoal to make the smoke, but put it too close to the combustible material, and eventually the house caught fire. The fire started in the basement and quickly spread to every floor while the owner was gone. A neighbor saw the smoke and called the firefighters.

One of the firefighters said, “There were no fire hydrants in the area. This is not a problem because we are used to it, but we had to move around with water tanks.”

The intervention to control the fire lasted several hours, but the fire was completely extinguished only the next morning.