Imagine if Your Teen Cost You $36 Million for Starting a Fire
Think back to when you were a teenager, and your mother told you not to play with fire because you might burn the house down. Well, that's what kind of happened in the Portland area, but instead of a house, it was a National Park, and it will end up costing the family over $36 million.
A judge ordered a Vancouver teenager to pay $36.6 million in restitution after the teen pleaded guilty earlier this year to starting last September's massive Eagle Creek wildfire in the Columbia Gorge.
Now the judge did find that the teen would not be able to pay the entire amount (duh) and set up a payment schedule plus if the teen stays out of trouble for the next ten years while on probation, the full or partial satisfaction of the restitution may be granted. This is tough, but I lived in the area when the fire was started. It disrupted the lives of millions in the area plus caused tens of millions of damages. So the next time your mom says "don't play with fireworks you could burn the neighborhood down", listen.