House burns down as a little light weeding goes wrong

A GARDENER in Germany faces possible criminal charges over an accidental fire that wrecked a house and caused €200,000 (£160,000) of damage.

The hapless horticulturalist, who has not been named, is suspected of accidentally starting the fire in the north German spa town of Bad Salzuflen while using a weed burner.

The small hand-held gas torch is used for quickly burning off weeds, but the gardener is alleged to have set fire to a nearby hedge. Fanned by the wind, the flames quickly spread to a neighbouring property.

A couple named only as Michael and Rosemarie R under German privacy laws, returned home to find their house had been left uninhabitable by the blaze. “We lost everything in a few minutes,” the 47-year-old Mr R told

Bild newspaper. Firefighters put the fire out before the house was completely destroyed, but the roof collapsed and they were only able to save the ground floor.

The couple have lost most of their belongings.

“Everything was ruined by the water from the fire engines,” Mr R said. They are now living in a caravan, which they were able to move out of the driveway before the flames reached it.

The gardener had been hired specially for the weeding by a neighbour, who is said to be in shock.

The gardener could face charges of negligent arson, according to Bild.

Uwe Bauer, a police spokesman, offered some public safety advice: “Never use an open flame in the garden.”