A mouse wreaked revenge on a pensioner who tried to kill it by tossing it on a bonfire. It scuttled back into the man's house and set the building ablaze. Luciano Mares, 81, had been bothered by mice, so when he trapped the creature in his home he was determined to dispose of it.

"I had some leaves burning outside and threw it in the fire," said Mr Mares, of Fort Sumner, a village in New Mexico.

As planned, the mouse caught fire. But then it suddenly sprinted back towards the wooden house and ran beneath a window.

The fire, which took the efforts of 13 firemen over three hours to extinguish, destroyed the entire contents of the house. Mr Mares is now staying at a local motel.