TEXARKANA, Texas » Authorities say a northeast Texas woman recently learned a hard lesson: Don’t try to kill a snake by setting it on fire.

The woman was cleaning the yard outside a home near Texarkana Wednesday night when she spotted a snake. Bowie County Sheriff’s Capt. David Grable says she poured gasoline on the snake to try to kill it. Her son then dropped a lit match on the snake.

The engulfed snake slithered into some brush nearby the home. Grable says the brush ignited and started a fire that destroyed the home and damaged one next door.

Both homes were vacant, and no one was injured.

Grable says most snakes are harmless if left alone.