Woman tries to kill spider with fire; charged with arson

A 34-year-old Hutchinson woman was arrested early Friday after five Hutchinson Fire Department units were called out at 1:36 a.m. to extinguish a small fire in her half of a duplex at 121 W. Seventh Ave.

Deputy Fire Chief Doug Hanen said in a press release that firefighters found light smoke coming from the woman’s half of the duplex and some clothing smoldering just inside the doorway. They found multiple other points of origin for the fire and brought it under control within minutes, Hanen said.

Although no one was injured, and there was no damage to the structure other than light smoke damage, Ginny M. Griffith was arrested on a charge of aggravated arson because the other half of the duplex also was occupied.

A police summary of the incident said Griffith told officers that she used a cigarette lighter to set some towels on fire to kill a spider. Griffith was being held in the Reno County Jail in lieu of $7,500 bond.