In case you missed it over the weekend, a Billings teenager has admitted that he started a fire that damaged the Sports Authority Store on 24th Street West last week.  The fifteen year old claims he lit the firework which ignited one of bushes outside the store and later spread to the building.

Authorities estimate the damages at nearly $500,000.  Surely, this kid will be in big trouble. And he should be.  By the time you're 15, you should know better.

But here's a different question:  If the Sports Authority store is a few blocks away from a fire station, why weren't the firefighters on the scene sooner?  We all respect the sacrifices that those brave men and woman make for our city, but there's no reason why this fire shouldn't have been reported sooner.

The biggest mistake this teenager made was not calling the fire department sooner.  Now, he's responsible for an even bigger crime.  And to think, had he called the fire department when those bushes first caught on fire, that fire would have probably never even spread to the building.

 

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