Three teens have been charged with arson for starting two fires last week, one of which destroyed 13 homes, 16 outbuildings, and numerous vehicles in Gibson Flats just south of Great Falls, Montana.
Those charged were Brandon Cordell Bennett, Jr. 18; Jevin James Mclean, 19; and Galvinn Coates Munson, 19; all of Great Falls.
Munson was also charged with 15 counts of criminal endangerment. Bennett received an additional charge of tampering with evidence for reportedly “wiping” his phone.
The two fires, which burned about 120 acres, started at around 2:40 a.m. December 1 pushed by strong winds gusting at more than 50 mph.
“One of the defendants disclosed that all three of them were driving around the area the night this occurred smoking marijuana and shooting fireworks at each other inside the vehicle,” Cascade County Sheriff Jesse Slaughter said in a news conference.
The Sheriff said the fact that no one was killed was a “complete miracle.”
Boneheads, oh my. And the devastation felt by those who lost their homes, outbuildings and vehicles. I hope they receive more than a slap aside the head, so to speak.
Not one mention of the importance of keeping flammable vegetation cleared (apparently short, dry grass for the most part… easy and fast to clear). ANY fire prevention can thwart IDIOTS like this.
Smoking Marijuana and shooting fireworks at each other inside a vehicle”: not some of our best and brightest here in Montana. They’re lucky they didn’t qualify for a 2021 Darwin Award. Any it will only get better: Recreational Pot becomes legal in Montana on 1/1/22.