Man trying to smoke out snakes burnt down barn, two sheds and mobile home

In a quest to rid his yard of snakes, William Litaker started a fire that sent 50 to 75 fire and other emergency crews to his family-owned property in Rowan County, North Carolina.



The 82-year-old said he’d seen a couple of copperheads behind a mobile home he used as storage. So he thought Thursday was a pretty enough day to “smoke ’em out,” he said.

He said he poured kerosene on the ground and lit it. The fire quickly spread to a barn, two sheds and the mobile home. “I thought now would be a good time to do it, but it wasn’t,” he said.



The fire destroyed all of the structures. Litaker had some collectible items in the mobile home, including antique furniture. He also had tools and farming equipment in the barn and two sheds. He was not injured. “It’s just one of those things,” he said of losing his collectibles. Litaker said he didn’t think the fire would spread.