A Montgomery County, Maryland, homeowner burned their house down on Nov. 23 while trying to manage a snake infestation, officials said Thursday night. Montgomery County Fire and Rescue spokesman Pete Piringer tweeted that the owner tried using smoke from coals to fight the serpents in a house on Big Woods Road near Poolesville.

Update (11/23) Big Woods Rd, house fire; CAUSE, accidental, homeowner using smoke to manage snake infestation, it is believed heat source (coals) too close to combustibles; AREA of ORIGIN, basement, walls/floor; DAMAGE, >$1M; no human injures; snake status undetermined https://t.co/65OVYAQTWe pic.twitter.com/HIYOegJJT6

— Pete Piringer (@mcfrsPIO) December 3, 2021

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The fire broke out around 10 p.m., officials said. Piringer said 75 firefighters were called to put out the blaze. It’s believed that coals in the basement started the fire, which caused more than $1 million in damage. There were no human injuries, Piringer said. He listed the snakes’ status as “undetermined.”