As a child, my parents scolded me if I touched the matches placed next to our gas heater.
As I continued to age, I just never had the urge to strike a match. The aroma just never did agree to my sense of smell.
I’m wondering if that could be the cause or reasoning for all the fires happening around Brantley County.
Of course, they could just be accidental. But one has to wonder.
People start fires for a wide variety of reasons, which can be broadly categorized as unintentional/accidental, intentional (including controlled burns and arson), or natural (though the user's query implies human intent).
Searching the world-wide internet, I found a few of the common causes of fire.
• Defective Electrical Equipment. Defective electrical equipment can present significant danger
• Flammable/combustible Materials
• Smoking
• Negligence and human error
• Cooking equipment
• Arson About 90 percent of all wildfires are caused by human activity, with negligence being a primary factor, including unattended campfires, carelessly discarded cigarettes, burning debris, and equipment malfunctions, while intentional acts like arson also contribute significantly. Natural causes, mainly lightning, account for the remaining small percentage.
Human-caused fires result from campfires left unattended, the burning of debris, equipment use and malfunctions, negligently discarded cigarettes, and intentional acts of arson.
Pyromaniacs are motivated by psychological needs such as revenge, spite, power, and anger. They are often products of broken homes, are loners, and have histories of mental illness. Some studies have shown that pyromaniacs are compelled to set fires because of personality disorders, usually sexual deviancy. One reason that is not mentioned is one many may not think of. A month or so back with the fires in and around Satilla Plantation, I had someone tell me they heard the fires were set to get Georgia Forestry to cut firebreaks through the woods to have trails to ride on their ATVs.
It’s a different time than when I grew up.
• Rick Head is the Publisher and Editor of The Brantley Beacon and the Waycross Journal- Herald. He can be reached at beacon@btconline. net
