Bet he didn't see that one coming! A French amateur psychic's powers are under serious scrutiny after his crystal ball starts a fire that engulfs his apartment.

British tabloid The Times

Herve Vandrot, 24, a botany student at Edinburgh University, left his crystal ball on a windowsill while he visited the city's Royal Botanical Garden.

When he returned, he was shocked to find his top floor apartment in flames.

He ran into the apartment to retrieve some course work and was dragged out of the building by some of the 35 firefighters who tackled the blaze.

Vandrot had been living in the apartment for just two weeks.

A fire department spokesman says strong sunlight traveling through glass acts like a magnifying glass, concentrating the sun's rays on an object and igniting it.