. . .

Boy Confesses to Starting California Fire

. . .A boy playing with matches has confessed to starting a wildfire that destroyed 63 structures near Los Angeles. . .

[www.nytimes.com]

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I reject your reality and substitute my own!

Years ago we had an apartment building in our neighborhood go up in flames because a boy crawled under his bed with a candle to look for something. I guess when he realized he'd set the bed on fire he decided to keep mum and hoped it would stop by itself. A policeman died in the course of rescuing residents (used the elevator, what a sad and foolish mistake!) and the building was pretty much destroyed.

How hard must it be to live the rest of your life knowing you caused something like that?

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That's a paddlin'

Depending on his age (which I have not heard yet), I think he should have to meet a few families that lost their homes.. and maybe a couple families that lost a pet if the kid has pets.

Where to draw the age line? Dunno...
5's too young, 13 is definitely old enough.

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Paul F.
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A sword never kills anybody; it is a tool in the killer's hand. - Lucius Annaeus Seneca c. 5 BC - 65 AD
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Good is the enemy of Excellent. Talent is not necessary for Excellence.
Persistence is necessary for Excellence. And Persistence is a Decision.
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Eureka, CA

Boy, restitution is gonna be a bitch on a paperboy's salary....

a fire that burns like that isn't the fault of anyone unless a serious effort has been made.

if little boys can cause so much damage playing with matches, little boys will have to be banned from CA.

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"little boys will have to be banned from CA."


I think you may be on to something here...


But as for "a fire that burns like that isn't the fault of anyone unless a serious effort has been made. "

Thanks for playing, but no... A wildfire in bone dry scrub brush, whipped by by hot dry 40 to *60* mph winds does indeed spread that fast, that hot, and that wide.
After a certain point, a firestorm like this starts making it's own weather, and own winds. I just read this morning that a couple spots clocked 110 mph gusts, and the fire was moving at nearly 80mph.

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Paul F.
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A sword never kills anybody; it is a tool in the killer's hand. - Lucius Annaeus Seneca c. 5 BC - 65 AD
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Good is the enemy of Excellent. Talent is not necessary for Excellence.
Persistence is necessary for Excellence. And Persistence is a Decision.
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Eureka, CA

>>A wildfire in bone dry scrub brush, whipped by by hot dry 40 to *60* mph winds does indeed spread that fast, that hot, and that wide.

I intended to but more emphasis on _fault_.

Wildfires are a natural occurrence. Large fires occur when smaller, more frequent fires haven't been allowed to burn. Controlled burning can be used to keep this in check.

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But, Fox News said it was Al Queda.

Is the kid in Gitmo yet?

Where's the tip or deal here? Sorry, been slapped for not keeping on topic. Deal for the boy, maybe?

Anyways, to add to the thread, the boy's innocent, but maybe go for the store that sold the matches? It works for getting restaurants and bars for getting a driver drunk.

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bradsdad
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Not much will happen to the boy or his parents. Maybe a bit of restitution. Example. The guy that started the Cedar Fire (then lied about it, then admitted it. He was lost and started a signal fire), got a few months in jail and had to pay restitution of less than 10 grand. Absence of malice.

But they prosecuted a homeowner for digging a trench around his home to protect it from a fire, for destroying the environment. Anything's possible.

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bradsdad
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Where and when was the homeowner prosecuted for digging a trench to protect the home from fire? Was the house actually threatened by fire or did the homeowner just dig a big ugly trench in the springtime?