Posted on 10/30/2007 10:11:26 PM PDT by Santa Fe_Conservative
Edited on 10/30/2007 10:38:14 PM PDT by Admin Moderator. [history]
SANTA CLARITA, Calif. - A boy playing with matches started a fire in north Los Angeles County that consumed more than 38,000 acres and destroyed 21 homes last week, authorities said Tuesday. Sheriff's Sgt. Diane Hecht said she did not know the boy's exact age, but she believed he was younger than a teenager.
The boy, whose name and age were not released, was interviewed a day after the Buckweed Fire was sparked Oct. 21, said sheriff's Sgt. Diane Hecht.
"He admitted to playing with matches and accidentally starting the fire," said Hecht said in a statement.
The boy was released to his parents, and the case will be be presented to the district attorney's office, Hecht said.
The 60-square-mile fire began in an area near Agua Dulce and quickly spread by fierce desert winds. It was among more than a dozen major wildfires that killed 14 people and blackened 809 square miles from Los Angeles to the Mexican border.
Authorities arrested five people for arson during that period, but none have been linked to any of the major blazes.
Parents too...
The lil terrorist lit that lit up LA.
The lil terrorist that lit up LA. not lit lit, LOL. Less he lit a few matches.
Well, there goes those folks retirement.
I can understand not releasing the boy’s name, but I sure would like to know his age.
10 minute timeout for YOU!
I feel for the boy.
I burnt my house down to the ground when I was 4 in December of ‘58 playing with matches. All 5 kids, ages 1 month through 8 years, and mom made it out.
They didn’t know what happened until I confessed about three days later. I think the enormity of the guilt was killing me. Thankfully my dad was in a very forgiving mood otherwise I would not be posting this.
Remember it like it was yesterday.
Hang in there kid.
Given the Ivy League’s propensity to fawn over terrorists, looks like this kid needs to change his name to Mohammed and claim the fire was part of jihad. Or he can join GreenPeace and assert the fire was designed to point out the dangers of urban sprawl. He’ll be inundated with scholarship offers.
Unless he’s up around 15 or older, I say, he’s just a kid. No guilt necessary. And unless his parents were criminally neglecting him in some way, same to them. We can’t start expecting kids to have adult capacity all of sudden. They simply don’t have it.
Young Boy Started Buckweed Fire With Matches
"..Sheriff's Sgt. Diane Hecht said she did not know the boy's exact age, but she believed he was younger than a teenager.."
I have also seen other articles that say this is a teen.
Parents try to kid-proof the house, but you can’t remember everything. It’s very hard to keep kids out of everything as well.
The matches shouldn’t have been available to this kid. Lighters, matches, oven lighters, all should be locked away to prevent kids from their natural inclination to discover what fire is all about at the expense of the family or community.
Young kids do not understand the ramifications of their acts. As long as the kid doesn’t have a long standing problem involving a number of incidents where he was playing with fire and it cause problems, it’s probably a one time mistake.
Some kids do have a propensity to play with fire. And those kids need to work through it if possible with a professional.
I’m glad things turned out well for you.
The matches shouldn’t have been available to this kid. Lighters, matches, oven lighters, all should be locked away
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Yeah that is soooo easy to say, but my 6 year old boy is smarter at finding and unlocking everything I try to keep away from him than I am at hiding it and the key, as I was, I was about 8 when my brother and I caught the field behind the house on fire, luckily the FD was only 1/4 mile away and it only singed less than an acre
Throw the kid and parents in jail. The parents should financially pay for it as well. They should have been supervising and watching the kid. They have parental authority and are reponsible for the welfare of the child. If they don’t want the responsibility or can’t handle it, then they shouldn’t have kids.
Young kids do not understand the ramifications of their acts. As long as the kid doesn’t have a long standing problem involving a number of incidents where he was playing with fire and it cause problems, it’s probably a one time mistake.What, you're not in favor of the death penalty in this case? /sarc
Kids have been making mistakes for a long time.
Maybe it was a kid who discovered fire. You don't suppose he got his butt beat by his dad. lol
Nobody said it was easy. I just said it’s important. If you have to lock items in a cupboard and keep that key on you at all times, then that’s what you have to do.
One fire can destroy your future and the future of everyone in your family. Whether anyone dies or not, the loss of your home would set you back years if not decades. And if someone does die, the kid will carry it with them for the rest of their life.
I’m just raising the issue. It’s not my intent to offend anyone.
I think the kid probably discovered fire when he and dad had that little talk out back of the blackened woodshed.
Yes, kids screw up. You just hope they won’t kill someone in the process.
Guess you don’t have children, eh?
I raised two of them. I did take the responsibility of making certain things unavailable to them.
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