Fire is just too horrible to shirk complete and total accountability for its devastating consequences. And I'm not talking about the recent Kirkland murders that were allegedly covered up with arson. I'm talking about fires that are completely avoidable that are started by negligence, ignorance, youth and too often: fireworks.
I just don't get fireworks. Bottle rockets, cherry bombs, M-80s, Roman candles and other military-power wannabes set houses on fire and blow off fingers and hands of children who don't know any better. Children who can walk up to their choice of firework stand - which seem to appear like cockroaches in the dead of night - and spend to their heart's content. (By law, purchasers must be 16 with a photo ID. Is this enforced?) And how can three fireworks stands be allowed to take up residence in a two-block radius just over the northern border of Kirkland? It's irresponsible.
Everyone - including King County officials who allow these stands - need to be held accountable for their actions.
Do kids have the ability to think through their actions from beginning to end? No. That's where adults come in. The July 4 house fire was started by two teenagers setting off bottle rockets - just blocks from the celebration at Juanita Beach. I am sure that those kids had absolutely no intention of burning someone's house down. But is ignorance an excuse? Does that soothe the homeowners' devastation? Parents must monitor their children's actions and be held accountable. But what if the parents condoned their actions and actually bought the boys the fireworks? Then what? The boys both live in Kirkland, where bottle rockets are illegal. Who's breaking the law? Parents or children?
Bottom line: Fireworks - no matter how much a part of our holiday celebration - have devastating consequences.
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