Teen ordered to pay over $36M after starting wildfire

A 15-year-old boy who tossed fireworks in the forest causing a massive wildfire, has been ordered by a judge to pay over $36 million dollars.

The incident happened in Oregon last September. The wildfire burned 48,000 acres, through Columbia River Gorge and Mt. Hood National Forest. A group of hikers also had to be rescued.

The money will go to different places including the US Forest Service. The teenager’s attorney argued that the penalty was cruel and unusual punishment, but the judge decided it was warranted. The boy must also complete about 2,000 hours of community service.

If the teen doesn’t get into any trouble and pays what he can over the next ten years, another judge will be able to reassess and decide if the debt is paid, even if it’s not the amount ordered.

When the boy plead guilty earlier in the year, he wrote a letter of apology for his “careless action.” However, that did little to mitigate his sentence.