Do-it-yourself wars on yellow jackets go up in flames — twice, Oregon officials say

A do-it-yourself exterminator armed with lighter fluid burned a whole lot more than a yellow jacket nest Sunday in Oregon, reported The Oregonian.

The resulting three-alarm brush fire threatened a nearby home and barn in Silverton, Oregon, and required six fire agencies to douse, reported KOIN. The homeowner was treated for smoke inhalation.

“The fire was running fast through high grass, brush and trees as the first unit arrived which prompted additional alarms,” reported the Silverton Fire District in a statement. “High winds and dry conditions allowed the fire to spread fast.”

It’s the second blaze ignited in the neighborhood by homebrew yellow jacket extermination efforts in recent weeks, Assistant Chief Ed Grambusch of the Silverton Fire District told The Salem Statesman-Journal.

“I can see the other site from this one,” Grambusch said, according to the publication. “People get complacent when it rains, but it’s still really dry.”

Both property owners were cited and may be held responsible for the cost of dousing the fires, reported KPTV. Firefighters advised residents to call qualified exterminators to deal with yellow jackets or other pests.

Yellow jackets are one of the few social species of wasps, according to the University of California. Primarily scavengers, they are extremely defensive of their nests and are considered one of the most troublesome species of wasp.

This story was originally published September 24, 2018 at 8:39 AM with the headline "Do-it-yourself wars on yellow jackets go up in flames — twice, Oregon officials say."