LANCASTER, Pa. — A man trying to scare opossums away from his yard accidentally set fire to his house, causing $50,000 worth of damage, investigators said.

Lancaster City Assistant Fire Marshal Lt. Carl Everhart said the man, who lived in the rental home with a woman and a child, started a backyard blaze with leaves and charcoal lighter fluid shortly before 5:30 p.m. Wednesday in an attempt to drive away the opossums living around his home.

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(Photo courtesy Robert R. Devonshire, Jr., Lancaster Online)