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Glouco man trying to kill bedbugs sets home on fire

A man trying to get rid of bedbugs from his Woodbury home accidentally set it on fire Tuesday, injuring himself and a firefighter.

A man trying to get rid of bedbugs from his Woodbury home accidentally set it on fire Tuesday, injuring himself and a firefighter.

Gloucester County spokeswoman Debra Sellitto said firefighters responded to the house on the unit block of Penn Street just before noon to find the second floor on fire.

The homeowner, a male who was not named, had apparently been trying to eradicate the bedbugs from his house using a home remedy that included a space heater, hair dryer, and heat gun to "heat" the bugs out, Sellitto said.

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, to kill bedbugs using heat treatment, the temperature in the home or area where the bedbugs are must be at least 110 degrees for about three hours.

One Woodbury firefighter was taken to Cooper University Hospital with elevated blood pressure and dizziness and was released, Woodbury Mayor Bill Volk said.

The homeowner was taken to Cooper University's trauma center with unspecified injuries, Sellitto said. His condition was not known.

A second fire broke out in the home shortly after 5 p.m. It was not known what caused the second fire, which was brought under control by early evening.

Firefighters from Woodbury, Deptford Township, Woodbury Heights, and West Deptford Township assisted in putting out the first blaze, Volk said.

The fire was ruled accidental by the Gloucester County Fire Marshal's Office.