# Boy playing with matches started US fire **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 31, 2007, 5:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boy-playing-with-matches-started-us-fire/424677 "2007-10-31T05:03:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2007, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boy-playing-with-matches-started-us-fire/424677/21 "2007-10-31T13:36:56Z")
So, if he weighs more than a drape… ---
**Author:** ![lazybratsche](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ba8739/32.png) [@lazybratsche](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lazybratsche)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2007, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boy-playing-with-matches-started-us-fire/424677/22 "2007-10-31T13:43:26Z")
Such a fire was probably inevitable. If not now, then it would certainly have started sometime over the next few years. All that nice dry fuel on the ground was just waiting for right circumstances… So, the kid should get the same slap on the wrist that he would get for starting a much smaller fire. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2007, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boy-playing-with-matches-started-us-fire/424677/23 "2007-10-31T13:47:21Z")
[QUOTE=Tapioca Dextrin] So what do we hang as well as witches? [/QUOTE] Wallpaper! ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2007, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boy-playing-with-matches-started-us-fire/424677/24 "2007-10-31T13:54:49Z")
Send Smokey The Bear to maul his ass. ---
**Author:** ![Missy2U](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3bc359/32.png) [@Missy2U](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Missy2U)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2007, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boy-playing-with-matches-started-us-fire/424677/25 "2007-10-31T13:59:05Z")
More importantly, what’s a _hectare_? ---
**Author:** ![Flander](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8c91f0/32.png) [@Flander](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flander)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2007, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boy-playing-with-matches-started-us-fire/424677/26 "2007-10-31T14:02:28Z")
[QUOTE=Thudlow Boink] Send Smokey The Bear to maul his ass. [/QUOTE] “Only YOU can prevent…wait what? You burned HOW much!!!” ---
**Author:** ![chowder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/977dab/32.png) [@chowder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chowder)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2007, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boy-playing-with-matches-started-us-fire/424677/27 "2007-10-31T14:08:58Z")
[QUOTE=Missy2U] More importantly, what’s a _hectare_? [/QUOTE] Y’know, he’s that guy that Brad Pitt naffed off in _Troy_ ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2007, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boy-playing-with-matches-started-us-fire/424677/28 "2007-10-31T14:13:06Z")
simulpost ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2007, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boy-playing-with-matches-started-us-fire/424677/29 "2007-10-31T14:13:05Z")
**Missy** , it’s 100 meters square, or 10,000 square meters. It comes out to around 2 and 1/2 acres, 2.47 to be exact. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2007, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boy-playing-with-matches-started-us-fire/424677/30 "2007-10-31T14:13:07Z")
What the… ---
**Author:** ![pbbth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f9ae1b/32.png) [@pbbth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pbbth)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2007, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boy-playing-with-matches-started-us-fire/424677/31 "2007-10-31T14:29:28Z")
He can’t be held financially accountable and you can’t punish his parents because they can’t watch their child every minute, so my solution would be to have him write a letter of apology to every single person/family that lost their home in the fire. He should also have to write a letter of apology to the red cross, the fire department, and anyone else who helped undo the damage he caused. If he is older he should also be required to do community service to make up for this. ---
**Author:** ![Cartooniverse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cartooniverse/32/3084_2.png) [@Cartooniverse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartooniverse)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2007, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boy-playing-with-matches-started-us-fire/424677/32 "2007-10-31T14:32:25Z")
Jeeeez. Sorry for the simul=thread. Thanks for locking it, Oh Mystery Mod. It was an accident… nothing more. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Fight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/90ced4/32.png) [@Cat\_Fight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Fight)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2007, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boy-playing-with-matches-started-us-fire/424677/33 "2007-10-31T14:38:10Z")
If he’s old enough, I might have him visit the burn ward of his local hospital. My first thought was to have him do a PSA (you know, like when celebs get caught drunk driving and have to do an unrelated The More You Know…), but having his face everywhere might invite harassment. ---
**Author:** ![OneCentStamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/13edae/32.png) [@OneCentStamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OneCentStamp)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2007, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boy-playing-with-matches-started-us-fire/424677/34 "2007-10-31T14:44:56Z")
I really think it hinges on the “kid’s” age. As has already been said, a 4 year old firestarter and a 16 year old firestarter bring completely different levels of awareness and responsibility to the table. ---
**Author:** ![shijinn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cc9497/32.png) [@shijinn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shijinn)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2007, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boy-playing-with-matches-started-us-fire/424677/35 "2007-10-31T14:55:05Z")
**lieu** , how many square metres? and how many acres exactly? ---
**Author:** ![Anne\_Neville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Anne\_Neville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anne_Neville)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2007, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boy-playing-with-matches-started-us-fire/424677/36 "2007-10-31T16:36:20Z")
[QUOTE=OneCentStamp] I really think it hinges on the “kid’s” age. As has already been said, a 4 year old firestarter and a 16 year old firestarter bring completely different levels of awareness and responsibility to the table. [/QUOTE] Exactly. It strikes me as odd that none of the news reports say how old the kid is. I can see why they don’t release his name or where he lives, but his age is hardly identifying information. ---
**Author:** ![JohnBckWLD](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d6d6ee/32.png) [@JohnBckWLD](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnBckWLD)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2007, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boy-playing-with-matches-started-us-fire/424677/37 "2007-10-31T16:42:56Z")
Matches don’t kill forests & destroy rural housing, children do ---
**Author:** ![Contrapuntal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e274bd/32.png) [@Contrapuntal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contrapuntal)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2007, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boy-playing-with-matches-started-us-fire/424677/38 "2007-10-31T16:45:31Z")
[QUOTE=JohnT] Drapes? [/QUOTE] Get it right. They’re draperies. ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2007, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boy-playing-with-matches-started-us-fire/424677/39 "2007-10-31T16:47:50Z")
[QUOTE=Walloon] In the American colonies, we _hanged_ them. [/QUOTE] I think we pressed a few, too. ---
**Author:** ![Shayna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shayna/32/17976_2.png) [@Shayna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shayna)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2007, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boy-playing-with-matches-started-us-fire/424677/40 "2007-10-31T16:54:51Z")
The Griffith Park fire this past March was accidentally set by [a couple of teenagers](http://www.knbc.com/news/11495477/detail.html) who were “playing with matches” (in this case, a lighter and twigs). Throughout the reporting, they were referred to as ‘teens’ or ‘teenagers’. This time, they’re using the terminology, ‘young boy’ to describe him, which, to me, implies something younger than 12. It’s just a WAG, but I suspect he’s somewhere between 6 and 10. If that’s the case, I imagine he may need quite a bit of counseling to deal with what he’s done. The repercussions of any punishment could also be potentially life-altering. If I were in charge, I’d recommend a trained psychiatrist or psychologist assist in determining what level of punishment would be best for this young boy. For instance, things like forcing him to visit a burn ward, while possibly appropriate for an older child, could seriously traumatize a younger one. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boy-playing-with-matches-started-us-fire/424677.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boy-playing-with-matches-started-us-fire/424677.md?page=3)