Woman Allegedly 'Burns Down House' After Finding Large Spider

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A large spider on a speckled tile floor, and a mugshot of a woman suspected of arson
Instagram | @natashelik, Jackson County Sheriff's Office

How far have you gone to avoid an especially large or freaky-looking bug? I've encountered millipedes and looked the other way. I've left the room after finding a big spiderweb. I've definitely tiptoed away after realizing how close I was to a wasp's nest, which I don't feel the slightest bit sorry about. But some people go a little bit farther.

Houses: Don't burn them.

A firefighter battling a blaze at night
Unsplash | Esri Esri

Houses are pretty expensive, and parts of them can be pretty flammable. For these reasons and more, it's never advisable to let your house catch fire, no matter how creepy things get.

...But sometimes, you need to kill something with fire.

A scorpion with its tail poised to attack
Unsplash | Federico Faccipieri

This is especially true for people who live in Australia or Arizona, but sometimes an unwelcome creature in the house can lead a person to want to kill them. With fire, if possible.

You see where this is going, don't you?

Skyline of Kansas City, Missouri
Wikimedia Commons | Charvex

This story takes us to beautiful Kansas City, Missouri. I don't think the creepy crawlies are even that creepy in the Great Plains states, but this didn't matter to one KC woman.

In this unassuming neighborhood, something horrible happened.

Google maps aerial view of a neighborhood in Kansas City
Google | Google Maps

No, I'm not talking about the house fire (I'll get to that, I promise). The true horror was when a woman in the vicinity of Oakley Avenue and Bonita Street in Kansas City said she saw a big spider.

The house burned and burned.

Giphy

Things got really interesting when a neighbor submitted surveillance video to the police. The fire, which was clearly started intentionally, led police to arrest a woman for arson.

Alexcia Berry admitted to starting the fire.

Mugshot of Alexcia Berry
Jackson County Sheriff's Office | Jackson County Sheriff's Office

But before you condemn her, hear her out: She 'fessed up to starting the blaze, but she had a reason for doing so. Berry told police she was provoked into the arson by a big spider.

Yeah, a spider.

Large spider on a speckled tile floor
Instagram | @natashelik

There's no word on the spider's condition, but given the circumstances (a burned down house as a result of arson because of arachnophobia), I'll hazard a guess and say that the poor spider didn't make it.

It's...interesting.

Giphy

Arachnophobia is very much a real thing, but it's hard to understand the thought process of straight-up burning a house down because of a spider. I mean, arson takes work.

There might be a little more to the story.

Aerial view of a home partially burned down
KCTV | KCTV

Neighbors said the house may have been occupied by squatters. “They keep staying in it, keep burning it up. You keep hearing rumors about drug addicts left and right," said one resident.

Life is a rich pageant.

Tweet showing a woman being arrested in front of a white van with back doors open
Twitter | @KCMOFireDept

This story truly has it all: raw emotion, unbridled fear, spooky spiders, arson, and (maybe) drugs. Let us know your thoughts on this weird, weird story in the comments!