A man from Amherst, Virginia used a flamethrower to melt away snow from his driveway. The man wanted to explore a quicker way of getting rid of the snow. After reading an ad in a local magazine about a blowtorch purported to do a brilliant job of clearing snow, he decided to try it out. He said the method worked well but advised other people to take several safety precautions before doing it themselves. Local public safety officials added that anyone considering the method should contact them beforehand.