- An apartment in Japan went up in flames after a man got a bit too zealous while killing a cockroach.
- The man used a lot of insecticide when he saw the cockroach, the police told the Mainichi Shimbun.
- Insecticides are generally flammable and can combust when it touches an electrical socket .
You may want to reach for your slipper instead of your insecticide next time you see a cockroach.
An apartment in Kumamoto, Japan blew up on Sunday after a man used insecticide to kill a cockroach.
The 54-year-old had sprayed a lot of insecticide in his attempt to vanquish the cockroach, the Japanese police told the Mainichi Shimbun in a report on Monday.
The resulting explosion shattered a balcony window and left the man with minor injuries, per the newspaper. The report added that police identified burn marks near the man's kotatsu, a Japanese heating table.
This isn't the first time an explosion has occurred after someone sprayed insecticide.
According to the National Consumer Affairs Center of Japan, there've been several reports of explosions occurring after insecticide burst into flames when it was sprayed near electrical outlets, per Mainichi Shimbun.
"Applying liquid sprays in certain areas may be extremely hazardous," Philip Koehler, an emeritus professor of entomology at the University of Florida, wrote in a publication for the university in January 2022.
"For example, electrical outlets, motors, or exposed wiring pose a potential threat of electrical shock to persons applying water-based pesticide sprays. Pilot lights and gas flames from heaters and appliances may ignite flammable petroleum-based pesticides," Koehler continued.
