Man blows up house chasing fly – fly escapes

An elderly man in France has accidentally blown up part of his house while trying to chase a fly with an electric racquet type of swatter, media sources report.

The man, in his 80s, was eating his dinner on Friday evening at his home in the village of Parcoul-Chenaud in Dordogne, when he became aware of a fly buzzing around his head.

The irritating insect did not respond to his waving and flapping by buzzing off but instead became more persistent in its unwelcome attentions.

The un-named pensioner grew increasingly annoyed and was put off his dinner, unable to finish it.

In desperation he reached for his trusty electric fly swat, a device shaped like a tennis racquet, and began to swipe at his flying tormentor, chasing it around the room.

The animated pursuit entered the kitchen and grew more violent with the crackling racquet describing electric arcs through the air which would not have disgraced a Wimbledon champion.

Sadly, unknown to the lively senior, a gas cylinder under the stove was leaking.

The inevitable explosion was sparked by the racquet, unleashing a blast that tore through the house, blowing away part of the roof.

Somehow, the man managed to escape the cataclysm with just a burn on his hand but his home is now uninhabitable.

His family is busy repairing his house while he resides at a local campsite, news outlet Sud Ouest reported.

It is unknown what happened to the fly.