Half acre burned in Kineowatha Park

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WILTON — About a half acre of a wooded area at Kineowatha Park was burned Monday evening after a fire accidentally spread from a campfire three teenagers admitted building, a fire department official said.
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Twenty-five Wilton and Jay fire fighters responded to the report of a fire in the woods behind the ball field, said Assistant Chief Kyle Ellis. There were lots of people at the park when the fire got started and happened to notice the juveniles leave the area where smoke was seen.

The youths had built a ring of rocks to start a campfire but it quickly spread to the surrounding woods, Ellis said. The dry conditions of the woods, which are littered with old pine needles, caught fire easily. The fire was fanned by a breeze off the lake.

“Witnesses knew who the boys are,” Ellis said and he added, the boys in their mid-teens, admitted they had made a campfire “that got out of control,” to Frank Donald, the Wilton Parks and Recreation director, and Forest Ranger Mark Rousseau who is leading the investigation. The juveniles attempted to contact 9-1-1.

Fire fighters used about 900 feet of hose from the two departments’ pumper tank trucks to reach the fire area. Crews cleared the park before dark.

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18 Comments

  1. Right, because STATE-WIDE RED FLAG WARNING didn’t mean anything to these idiots – let alone building a fire on an unapproved site in a PARK in a TOWN. … Is there going to be any punishment for this???

  2. The punishment will be a slap on the hand and a couple hours of community service work maybe.

  3. Seriously,

    You never made mistakes as a kid?

    I am glad I live in a community with perfect people who never made mistakes in their lives.

  4. Just maybe they should be banned from the park for a year. That just might send a message that what they did was a very serious thing.

  5. Perhaps working for the town this summer to pay the cost the town incurred for their little adventure gone awry would be a better lesson as well as a mandatory fire safety class.

  6. I agree with Ron.
    The point about the ” STATE-WIDE RED FLAG WARNING” is lost on the fact there are many adults that don’t even know what a red flag warning is.
    Many teenagers wouldn’t be watching the news.
    Don’t get me wrong, they did mess up badly, but just because you heard this warning, don’t assume others even know what you’re talking about.
    Most kids would think the ground isn’t too dry because it’s Spring.
    The lesson is that fire is not to be taken lightly.
    I hope that these teens learned from it and will tell their friends.

  7. Really?! Why do people feel the need to be so negative. Karen. . .who are you to label someone an idiot? These kids admitted to there wrong doing. They made a mistake. Why don’t you take a step back and calm yourself. People are alway so worried about punishment it seems. I am all for owning up to what you have done wrong but I am also up for people learning from there mistakes. It is not like they were trying to burn a 1/2 acre of property. I suppose those of you that are name calling here have never made a mistake that someone might of labeled you as an idiot. I know I have and I am far from an idiot. If any of you making negative comments on here have kids I hope they don’t mess up because it sounds like they might get tarred and feathered. I think George had a great idea. Let’s teach these kids something instead of punishing them.

  8. I agree with Ron & George. I’m glad these boys admitted to the wrong doing it could have turned out different. Being young once I made a huge mistake and got punished for it . Did it teach me a lesson? damn streight. Not a bad idea that they do some volunteer work at the park this summer and fire safety. There have been time when me all have wanted a second chance. Is it worth a shot? the youths of today are our future leaders.

  9. I’m sure Frank can find plenty of chores for them to do around the park. It is a serious thing with all the homes around there. I’m guessing these kids have been given an education on this since…it doesn’t sound like it was done maliciously.

  10. Maybe if “REALLY” owned property adjacent to the park, then he / she would feel a differently about the seriousness of the mistake these kids made. Imagine if the fire had gotten out of control and quickly spread to one of the adjoining properties. How fast the life and security of a family would change simply because that “mistake”….. intentional or not.

  11. Admitted wrongdoing and MAYBE learned a lesson- but perhaps they should still serve some serious community service time. Ignorance of what a RED FLAG, NO BURNING warning means isn’t really a good excuse for starting a dangerous fire. These kids might have noticed what the weather is like, being outside and all, and given it a second or third thought…
    Fortunate that they didn’t choose to try this at night, or in a more isolated location where the fire could have really gotten out of control. I notice that while they admitted it was them, they also ran off when the fire broke out into the woods, and they were not the people who contacted the fire dept. So they would have started it and left it to burn bigger and bigger while they went home and hid out.
    While I don’t think name calling is helpful, I do think that some real work might teach these teens to pay more attention to the world around them BEFORE they make another stupid and dangerous mistake.

  12. How about we give the kids some credit for taking responsibility for their actions. They could have run and they could have lied. It was a mistake, live and learn. Red Flag warning sounds a lot like Red Tide, it should be called what it is, a FIRE DANGER, DO NOT BURN! Why make it more difficult for people to understand.
    As for a consequence, in my opinion, have them help do spring cleaning. That’s it, nothing more. Nothing on their record just some kids helping right a wrong.

  13. Karen I would appreciate it if you didn’t call me an idiot because I am not. I know that I messed up and I made a huge mistake in doing what I did, but I don’t think calling me an idiot is called for. It was just me who started it. I was with two of my friends, but they had nothing to do with it, just so people know. I did not intend for the fire to spread as it did, and I didn’t take the heat and dryness of the area into consideration, although I know I should have. Obviously I need a consequence for what I did, as it was an incredible stupid act, and I think deserve any punishment that I can get. I have absolutely learned a lesson from playing with fire and I think that a fire safety class is a great idea so that I can be more informed about the risks of having fires, especially in the woods where it is hot and dry. I am deeply sorry for what I did.

  14. Danny,I don’t know you at all, but I would be proud of you if you were my son for owning your mistake and taking responsibility for it .Kudoes to you. Best I she’s for your future.

  15. I appreciate your comments Danny, and I’m glad you’ve learned and are manning up on this. For those who want to roast me, the key thing to me is, you don’t do something like start a fire that gets out of control, then run and hide, wait for someone to see the smoke, wait for someone to identify you, and then confess. I hope you’ve learned that too, Danny. My kids know if something bad happens, you come to me or dad and deal with it: there may be punishment, usually it is just the work rectifying the situation and “the lesson.” Sometimes there might be grounding. But you will be respected and responsible to deal with it immediately. The fire starter(s) should have called or run to someone to have them call for help, admitted it, and stayed to face the music. Then they would have my respect. My kids were raised woods-wise and wouldn’t have started that fire, but they’ve done other things and I’ve done worse. I’ve had occasion to call one an idiot or a jerk, doesn’t mean I don’t love them. I also call myself that on occasion, lol. To this day in my business life I have to face the music when I screw up; and I don’t let it simmer until there’s a big problem and I am found out. Learning to be responsible is important. I think Danny is learning this, and that’s good. Responsible kids turn into responsible adults who don’t think the world owes them anything, own their choices, and make good ones.

  16. Dear Danny,

    I appreciated your comments. Taking responsibility for your actions and expressing remorse shows maturity. Most adults don’t reach adulthood without doing something stupid along the way, but learning from your mistakes and righting your wrongs is a part of growing up (hopefully!). You’ll move past this.

    I’m writing on behalf of Western Maine Play Museum, as we’ve had a few young men over the past year do community service with us and would welcome your assistance whether you’re formally given community service or not. We have lots to do this summer and extra hands would be appreciated. If you’re interested, you can contact me through our website: http://www.westernmaineplay.org.

    Best of luck,
    Angela McLeod

  17. I knew about the fire hazard/warning way down here — I’m assuming the park had posted warnings as well, as we do down here? But I agree with George in the punishment should relate to the error: working for the town to pay the cost incurred, as well as a mandatory fire safety class. Better to teach in a useful manner than just slap the kid/s on the hand. It sounds as though they are apologetic and realize the error already. Glad to know no one was hurt; as that lesson would have been an even more painful one for them.

  18. Most of us locals know the rest of the story. I can assure you that this us NOT a first offense. At least one if these kids has previously been banned from the park. At least one of these kids is in some kind of trouble on a regular bases. Frank has been more than nice to him/them and given them a million chances. If you know Frank, you know he loves kids and easily forgives them. Most of what he does is for them. And how have they responded?—With even more rebellion and disrespect. I agree that kids make stupid mistakes, but if they don’t actually LEARN from them what’s the point? We are doing them a disservice by making excuses for them and not requiring restitution and/or repayment of some kind. One of the biggest problems with our society today is that no one wants to be held accountable for their mistakes, nor do parents want their kids to be held accountable. Wake up, people!!
    I highly doubt that this is the last we hear from them. Please….prove me wrong.

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