TITUSVILLE, Fla. -- A pet rat, a piece of twine and some questionable judgment ended with a Brevard County home in flames. David Stanifer and two friends were inside the home on Friars Court (see map) in Brevard County when the fire started early Monday morning.

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Stanifer and two other people were chasing the rat, named Amelia Earhart, around the house.

"They told us they were playing with their pet mouse or rat and they tied a ribbon to it and they were cutting a ribbon with the lighter," said Lt. Teresa Uzel of the Brevard County Fire Rescue.

"She was getting adventurous and we wanted to let her walk around on the ground and we didn't want her running off too far, so we grabbed some twine and some jingle bells so she didn't get too far," Stanifer told Eyewitness News (watch interview).

Stanifer said he didn't have any scissors to cut the twine, so he tried to use a lighter to burn through it. The rat started to run around the garage, starting small fires.

"This is a first time. It's a believable story because things happen, but this is a first with a rat," Uzel said.

"I had a few beers before it happened, but nothing out of the ordinary," Stanifer told Eyewitness News.

The residents tried putting the fire out, but were unsuccessful. More than a dozen firefighters responded to help fight the blaze.

"This is my parent's house. My dad's not here right now. He's in Africa on a mission trip and my mom works most of the time. We can't get a hold of her," said Stanifer.

Fire investigators said the damage to the home will cost nearly $30,000 to repair. The rat was unharmed.