Two men billed 37 million for starting a forest fire with their lawn mower.
How does a lawn mower start a fire?
http://www.oregonlive.com/pacific-north ... illio.html - incart_river_home_pop
37 million for starting a forest fire
37 million for starting a forest fire
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Re: 37 million for starting a forest fire
And that's not counting the external costs of a wildfire (pollution, CO2 generation, erosion, etc).
Re: 37 million for starting a forest fire
The blades hit a rock. SPARK!Koda wrote:How does a lawn mower start a fire?
Re: 37 million for starting a forest fire
ok, but how does it go un-noticed? Does this spark smolder a long time before ignition? I could see that a possibility but then their land must be adjacent to public forest lands.drm wrote:The blades hit a rock. SPARK!Koda wrote:How does a lawn mower start a fire?
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Re: 37 million for starting a forest fire
Or from the muffler, especially if the spark arrestor has been removed or deteriorated.drm wrote:The blades hit a rock. SPARK!Koda wrote:How does a lawn mower start a fire?
"When we try to pick out anything by itself, we find it hitched to everything else in the Universe." - John Muir
Re: 37 million for starting a forest fire
Last year, a person mowing their dry grass in Polk County endangered several neighbo's homes when a fire started. This is why there is a prohibition against cutting dry grass when the fire danger reaches extreme.
The three things you need to start a fire are NOT simply a wooden match, piece of crumpled up newspaper, and a Presto log.
They are simply, heat, fuel and oxygen.
The heat form the rays of the sun can start combustion if the rays are magnified by glass. The spark from metal hitting rock, or a backfire from a gasoline-powered engine can create enough heat that dry grass or barkdust can ignite. The ricochet of a bullet on rock can create a spark. Of course a cigarette butt is already burning and causes countless roadside fires. This is the heat element for fire.
The fuel is dry grass, dry wood or pine needles. It doesn't take much.
The oxygen, well you all know how good it is to take a breath outside. That's the oxygen. Get a little breeze going an you just stoked the furnace.
It's not a wonder HOW the fire got started when talking about mowing, timber cutting, etc. It's more of a bewilderment there are not more fires. How do they go un-noticed? In the case of the fire last year in Clackamas River, the instigators knew they had started the fire, panicked and left the scene. In other cases, people are so distracted by their Iphone or something off in the distance the other way, they are simply unaware. If anyone thinks this could not possibly be the case, then explain why anyone can possibly die in a house fire if they are aware of what's happening around them.
My best guess in this situation is that the cutting of dry grass was banned, but the defendants went ahead with what they wanted to do without regard for the consequences. Don't know for certain, but the legal outcome would lead me to that conclusion.
The impact from fires is felt by many, many people. A $37M fine is an ice-water-in-your-face wake-up call that negligence is no longer going to be tolerated. It's a big wake-up call that is surprising, but one that seems to be necessary given the number of human-caused fires.
The three things you need to start a fire are NOT simply a wooden match, piece of crumpled up newspaper, and a Presto log.
They are simply, heat, fuel and oxygen.
The heat form the rays of the sun can start combustion if the rays are magnified by glass. The spark from metal hitting rock, or a backfire from a gasoline-powered engine can create enough heat that dry grass or barkdust can ignite. The ricochet of a bullet on rock can create a spark. Of course a cigarette butt is already burning and causes countless roadside fires. This is the heat element for fire.
The fuel is dry grass, dry wood or pine needles. It doesn't take much.
The oxygen, well you all know how good it is to take a breath outside. That's the oxygen. Get a little breeze going an you just stoked the furnace.
It's not a wonder HOW the fire got started when talking about mowing, timber cutting, etc. It's more of a bewilderment there are not more fires. How do they go un-noticed? In the case of the fire last year in Clackamas River, the instigators knew they had started the fire, panicked and left the scene. In other cases, people are so distracted by their Iphone or something off in the distance the other way, they are simply unaware. If anyone thinks this could not possibly be the case, then explain why anyone can possibly die in a house fire if they are aware of what's happening around them.
My best guess in this situation is that the cutting of dry grass was banned, but the defendants went ahead with what they wanted to do without regard for the consequences. Don't know for certain, but the legal outcome would lead me to that conclusion.
The impact from fires is felt by many, many people. A $37M fine is an ice-water-in-your-face wake-up call that negligence is no longer going to be tolerated. It's a big wake-up call that is surprising, but one that seems to be necessary given the number of human-caused fires.
Re: 37 million for starting a forest fire
I understand how a mower 'could' start a fire I was just surprised one actually did... Ive never heard of it, most mowers that run bad enough to spark out the exhaust usually don’t run for long or at all. The blades could strike a rock or something but it takes a while to mow those bigger rural country lawns, the owner I would think would see smoke in time before it ignites...? I would also think that any grass worth mowing is green enough... maybe he was mowing the weeds.BigBear wrote:It's not a wonder HOW the fire got started when talking about mowing, timber cutting, etc. It's more of a bewilderment there are not more fires.
I give in though it obviously happened, just thought it odd.
lightweight, cheap, strong... pick 2
Re: 37 million for starting a forest fire
I've definitely hit rocks and used tragically old and beat-up mowers for the "field" behind us. I'd be scared to take some of my previous mowers out now. Will hike instead, and maybe mow again in October or November.Koda wrote:The blades could strike a rock or something but it takes a while to mow those bigger rural country lawns, the owner I would think would see smoke in time before it ignites...? I would also think that any grass worth mowing is green enough... maybe he was mowing the weeds.
Karl
Back on the trail, again...
Back on the trail, again...
Re: 37 million for starting a forest fire
Let me stipulate, I am not talking about mowing one's postage-stamp-size lawn with a handpush Toro, I'm talking about multi-acre fields on a riding mower. On those big plots, by the time the fire ignites, the mower and rider are city block down the pasture.
Re: 37 million for starting a forest fire
No matter when you see it, what are you going to do? Would you have a hose handy to put it out right then? If the wind is blowing, how much could it spread before you go and get an adequate water source?
Heat, fuel and oxygen might be what gets a fire started, but wind is what makes a fire a wildfire.
Heat, fuel and oxygen might be what gets a fire started, but wind is what makes a fire a wildfire.