A 45-year-old Nepali tourist’s attempt to get rid of a spider in a Bali bathroom ended with the total destruction of a villa estimated at roughly $112,000. Gaorap Rana lit a piece of paper to drive the creature away. Strong winds carried the still-burning paper onto the property’s dry thatched roof, and the fire took the whole place down.
The fire started around 12:30 p.m. local time on Monday, October 5, 2026, at Villa Julia on Jalan Aseman Bagus in Tibubeneng, North Kuta, Bali. Badung Police identified Rana as the guest staying there. He noticed spiders and their webs in the bathroom of the southern bungalow and decided fire was the answer.
Badung Police spokesperson Ipda Ni Nyoman Yuni Eltari explained the sequence:
“After burning the paper, the victim left the bathroom and went to the work room. The burning paper was apparently carried by strong winds and caught the thatched roof.”
The villa’s roof was made of traditional alang-alang, dry cogon grass that is highly flammable. Hot, dry weather and gusty winds that day did the rest. Flames raced through the two-story building and everything inside within minutes. Locals called the Badung fire department. About seven fire engines responded. Crews, police, power company workers, community security, and residents spent roughly two hours getting the fire under control and used around 60,000 liters of water. The burned area covered about 1,300 square meters.
The estimates for the cost of damage were put around Rp 2 billion. When these amounts were converted to dollars in international news sources, it was somewhere around $112,000; however, the amounts stated by other news sources were somewhat higher, ranging from $126,000 to $160,000.
Rana made it out of the building unscathed. No one else was harmed, and the buildings nearby remained untouched despite fears that it would spread due to wind.
Police confirmed the cause based on Rana’s statement, but no public announcement has established whether he faces criminal charges or civil liability for the losses. Ownership details of the villa and any insurance arrangements also remain unclear in available reports.
The thatched roofs on Bali are beautiful and keep the insides cool, but they can catch fire very quickly when they are dry. It does not take much to light an open flame near things that can catch fire. There are better ways to catch spiders and release them, or even ask for help.
