On Monday a homeowner in the southern, rural municipality of Siuntio tried to get rid of a bothersome snake by spraying petrol on it, but drops of the fuel landed on a nearby lawnmower, which was warm enough to set the gas ablaze.
Due to the extremely dry conditions, the fire quickly spread to the wooden duplex house, and the blaze reached up the exterior wall all the way to the attic.
In an effort to extinguish the growing blaze, the homeowner then sprayed the burning house with water from a garden hose until rescue units arrived at the scene.
Several fire department units, including ones from Helsinki, some 50 km away, were called to the incident.
A public safety official said that the fire caused up to 15,000 euros in damage to the 100-square-meter house but that its interior was not damaged, nor was the duplex's second apartment.
The official estimated that the homeowner would have to tear out and replace about five square meters of the exterior wall and about three square meters of the roof.
The extremely dry conditions have caused many brush fires across the country in recent weeks. Monday was a particularly busy day for Finnish fire-fighters, with some 30 units being called out simultaneously to various fires that required attention.
Due to the drought-like conditions, the Department for Rescue Services continues to urge residents to be particularly careful with fires.