Posted on 10/31/2007 10:03:17 AM PDT by nmh
SANTA CLARITA, Calif. — Officials blamed a wildfire that consumed more than 38,000 acres and destroyed 21 homes last week on a boy playing with matches, and said they would ask a prosecutor to consider the case.
The boy, whose name and age were not released, admitted to sparking the fire on Oct. 21, Los Angeles County sheriff's Sgt. Diane Hecht said Tuesday. Ferocious winds helped it quickly spread.
"He admitted to playing with matches and accidentally starting the fire," Hecht said in a statement.
The boy was released to his parents, and the case will be presented to the district attorney's office, Hecht said. It was not clear if he had been arrested or cited by detectives.
The fire began in an area near Agua Dulce and quickly spread. It was among 15 or so major wildfires that destroyed some 2,100 homes and blackened 809 square miles from Los Angeles to the Mexican border last week. Seven deaths were blamed directly on the fires, six evacuees died of natural causes and one person died of a fall.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
What I czan’t figure out is if he and/or his family are legal or not - the police sat on this story for over a week.
For the record, no one died in any of the fires in Los Angeles county.
Most media in most states (and for that matter some states have laws on it) do not release the names of minors. But, it’s probably a good thing to NOT do. Let the LE folks and DA address it and decide.
Remember CA people put them in office, and therefore, those folks in LE and DA offices are there by CHOICE.
“The kid set a fire which burned 38,000 acres and destroyed 21 homes. Should he be punished? I’m not wise enough to know the answer.”
Sure you are!
BTW, some people died too ... .
“I agree that you can try and those that do have less problems. This kid and his family may have a history...I don’t know. I do know that good kids do get in trouble at times. I don’t know the answer here. You could hold the parents financially responsible but who has that kind of money . It would probably bankrupt them and be a no-win for the victims.”
It really doesn’t matter if the kid has a history or not ... bad ones always start somewhere ... and I’m not talking about bankrupting them - just putting some severe financial pain their way.
“I agree that you can try and those that do have less problems. This kid and his family may have a history...I don’t know. I do know that good kids do get in trouble at times. I don’t know the answer here. You could hold the parents financially responsible but who has that kind of money . It would probably bankrupt them and be a no-win for the victims.”
It really doesn’t matter if the kid has a history or not ... bad ones always start somewhere ... and I’m not talking about bankrupting them - just putting some severe financial pain their way.
Hadn’t thought of that .... now is not a good time for illegals to be misbehaving ... maybe that’s why the HYT ran a story on dead ILLEGALS from this fire? The NYT seemed to forget about everyone else and focus on that - to drum up sympathy if it is an illegal? Who knows!
Maybe not in LA country but elsewhere they did.
No argument here. You have some very good points. Parents should be held accountable for their children’s actions. I’m just saying sometimes no matter how good a job you do, they get in to stuff.
Yeah, but you’re the one who listed “the deaths of others” as among the things this kid’s parents should pay for.
Yeah, but you’re the one who listed “the deaths of others” as among the things this kid’s parents should pay for.
“The fire began in an area near Agua Dulce and quickly spread. It was among 15 or so major wildfires that destroyed some 2,100 homes and blackened 809 square miles from Los Angeles to the Mexican border last week. Seven deaths were blamed directly on the fires, six evacuees died of natural causes and one person died of a fall.”
This is where I got the idea that people DIED.
You can’t really “pay” for a death. I was tolking more on the lines of making it painful FINANCIALLY for these parents. The only thing that seems to get the attention of parents is typically $$$$$$.
If it is Bill Gate’s kid, then just send him the bill for all of it. HE can afford it.
Right, people died in another fire, 100 miles away.
“Right, people died in another fire, 100 miles away.”
Direct your complaint to FOX news.
THAT was how they reported it.
Fire spreads fast. Do you know for sure that this wasn’t the fire THIS kid started?
Because this kid’s fire was in Santa Clarita, north of Los Angeles. The San Diego fires were a completely separate event, a hundred miles away. The Malibu fires were another separate event, a good 30+ miles from Santa Clarita. None of them were linked. Look at a map.
Tell that to Fox news.
It wasn’t me, OK?!
What do you suggest; is a simple hanging okay, or should we be talking full-on crucifixion, here? /s
I’m all for this kid getting a life lesson out of this, but my guess is that he probably already has, especially if he’s aware of the extent of the damage he’s caused. That guilt will never go away.
If anyone believes that additional, physical or monetary punishment would be more effective, they’ve never been in real psychological pain. Physical wounds heal, and you can pretty much always make more money.
Psychological damage is with you for life.
Well, Fox did say his fire “was among 15 or so major wildfires” that cumulatively caused that much death and damage. It’s a big topic of discussion now why these fires (and the 2003 fires) were so much more destructive in San Diego county than they were in L.A. county. Basically, it comes down to San Diego dropping the ball on fire readiness and refusing to learn their lesson. They tend to think they can get by on the cheap and just ask for help from outside agencies when they get into trouble. They have two fire-fighting helicopters while L.A. has 11, with pilots who fly all the time and know every inch of their territory, which allows them to fly in more marginal conditions than pilots dared to in San Diego. L.A. has a county fire department. San Diego abolished theirs in the 1970s. The list goes on.
My son was involved in a minor incident a couple of years ago. While waiting for the bus, he and another high-schooler were throwing lighted matches at each other. (STUPID!!) The Laguna Niguel police were called and I had to leave work and meet with the OC Fire Dept. My son was scared out of his wits. The fire captain told me that if the hillside had caught fire, we could be held liable for hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage, something that would follow my son for the rest of his life. Believe me, he has never done anything like that again!
It LOOKS like it's a minor. Not telling the age would make one think so. Still, I have never heard of not reporting the age. The name is often withheld if it is a minor, but not the age.
With the age not being reported we don't know for sure that it is a minor. I find the age being withheld a tad suspicious. JMO
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.