The Idaho Fireball Lottery Could Cost You Millions

A guy I worked with once told me more Americans have lunched with the Queen of England than have won lotteries. That was 35 years ago. Now one of those opportunities is closed. Still, I know a lot of people are convinced they’ll someday be the lottery victor. It depends on the lottery. Instead of winning millions, you could be the unlucky person who owes millions. Especially if you cause a wildfire.

The Bureau of Land Management believes at least two fires this week in southern Idaho began at the hands of a human being or multiple beings. As of Friday morning, the fires had burned 30,000 acres and, in Eden, threatened property.

There are numerous ways a fire can have human assistance. Some could be discarded cigarette butts, a hot muffler, or an exploding target. The targets should be worrisome. It’s fun to watch things blow up when you go out target shooting. Right now, the only safe method would be to put the block on a raft in the middle of a pond.

The ground and vegetation are incredibly dry.

You may figure you won’t get caught, but what if this is the lottery you’re destined to win? The odds are better that you’ll be caught at some point than they are if you’re buying tickets for Powerball. Then you’ll be on the hook for the cost of the firefighting manpower, lost property, flame retardant, and planes used in attacking a wildfire. To the tune of millions of dollars! In other words, unless you win a regular lottery, you’ll toil for decades on a debt you can never repay.