Irvine fire

[Disneyphile]

Originally Posted by Moonliner

It turns out that at least one of the fires was started by a kid playing with matches. So now what do you do?

If the kid is 9? 12? 15? 17?

I'd make him gather up all of his stuff, and make him light it on fire and watch it burn. But, that's if I were the parent, because then I wouldn't buy replacement items either - he'd have to earn money via really hard chores and other things, and the process would be slooooooow, since at least half of all his earnings would be donated to the relief funds, with a personal apology letter written to each family affected (whether they were just evacuated or suffered damages). The little brat would be rebuilding his/her own life for a looooooong time.

I'm sure some folks would think that's cruel though.

If I were the authority, I'd drag the parents into court, and make them pay into the relief fund and community service. Which, in turn, I would hope encourage the parents to do exactly what I just posted.