Flew back to Portland today over the Eagle Creek fire. Thank goodness there were not people living in most of the burn areas.

 

http://www.kptv.com/story/37525714/...ire-pleads-guilty-is-sentenced?autostart=true

 

http://www.kptv.com/story/37525714/...ire-pleads-guilty-is-sentenced?autostart=true

Sadly he got his hands slapped. He and his parents should be doing community service for the rest of their lives just to pay back a fraction of the damage caused.

 

~50 years ago, a friend and I were out plinking with his new rifle. A Remington 22-250.
We were 15,16 or so.

He missed a shot at a buzzard, or crow, can't recall.....and busted a power line insulator.

Started 3 fires before power went out. We stomped and whipped the fires out and ran like hell.

We figured we were in deep do-do. Got back to town and all the power was out west of the river. Power co. hadn't found the problem yet.

My friend told his dad after we heard the radio report.....he called power co.

Only charged him $1200.....cause we told exactly where to go. Course $1200 was a fortune then.

 

There's a lot of good background on the kid who started the fire in this article.

http://www.oregonlive.com/wildfires...eek_fire_speaks_this_is_a_trauma_for_him.html

 

http://www.koin.com/news/oregon/jud...-opinion-for-eagle-creek-fire-teen/1190759924

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) -- Circuit Court Judge John Olson issued his restitution opinion for the teenager who pleaded guilty to starting the Eagle Creek Fire last summer, ordering him to pay $36 million.

The teen was in court on Thursday for a restitution hearing, where 11 different claims were submitted from different agencies and companies totaling $36 million. The teen's attorney argued the number was "cruel and unusual."

Time to pay kid.

The court awarded restitution to the state in the amount of $36,618,330.24 on behalf of the following victims in the following amounts:

$5,000 to Iris Schenk

$8,111.44 to Allstate Insurance

$31,550.90 to Oregon State Parks

$100,000 to Heuker Properties

$168,000 to Trail Club of Oregon

$1,048,877.52 to Union Pacific Railroad

$1,643,035.38 to Oregon State Fire Marshall

$12,500,000 to ODOT

$21,113,755 to US Forest Service

 

http://www.koin.com/news/oregon/jud...-opinion-for-eagle-creek-fire-teen/1190759924


Time to pay kid.

It's nice to see the damages enumerated instead of just some vague unquantifiable statement of harm done. This along with the video and other images of the fire damage, response activity and human suffering should be collated as a teaching tool for parents, youth leaders and to update the Smokey Bear ad campaign.