The elderly man said he poured lighter fluid on a rag and lit it in an attempt to smoke the wasps out of their nest, but the flames spread to the woodpile that held the nest and ignited a blaze that took down the entire garage, Aftenposten reported Thursday.

"Maybe using lighter fluid wasn't such a good idea, but it was an accident all the same and the wasps are gone," the man said.

He said he is waiting to hear from his insurance company to see if the loss of his garage and car will be covered.