Cyclist Wildfire Culprit: 73-Acres Burned Thanks To Bowel Movement And Bad Idea [Video]
According to multiple reports, an unnamed cyclist caused the wildfire that destroyed nearly 73-acres of Idaho wilderness. It seems the entire incident can all be traced to one man’s bowel movement. Well, perhaps not the fact that our unknown pooper had to go… but what he did after the fact.
Bureau of Land Management spokeswoman Carrie Bilbao said that Wednesday afternoon, the anonymous cyclist decided that a ravine in the Boise foothills was as good a place as any to answer “the call of nature.” After it was over, he attempted to erase any trace of his defecation. To accomplish this, the cyclist decided to burn the toilet paper and then bury the smoldering waste pile.
Unfortunately for the cyclist, the sparks spread from the waste pile to the parched grass around it. He was unable to contain the growing flames and fled without warning area officials about the wildfire.
Cyclist’s secret forest poop causes 73-acre Idaho wildfire http://t.co/3ICG9Pw2Wx pic.twitter.com/cyjKEgDNBi
— Fusion (@ThisIsFusion) July 24, 2015
Eyewitnesses could see the spreading flames from 8th Street in the Hulls Gulch area. Several people contacted authorities at around 1:30 p.m. Firefighters responded, but it would take several hours for them to bring the fire under control.
On Thursday, the cyclist contacted local authorities and confessed to starting the wildfire. His explanation matched what investigators had learned, which confirmed that he was indeed the party responsible.
Bilbao wasn’t too surprised by the man’s “poopy” error and remarked, “When you’ve got to go, you’ve got to go.”
She mentioned that it wasn’t uncommon for people like the cyclist to burn their toilet paper. Funny enough, people tend to do this out of concern for the environment.
“We’ve had this before, actually… it doesn’t happen very often, but when people have to go, um, they will often burn their toilet paper just as kind of an environmental concern, to not litter.”
While this gesture is well-meant, Bilbao doesn’t recommend this behavior as these “fuel types” can cause dangerous wildfires.
The guilt-ridden cyclist did face consequences related to his crappy behavior. He was reportedly hit with a fine for causing the wildfire. His troubles don’t end there. Authorities say the man might be made to pay for fire-fighting costs, and criminal charges could still happen.
Pooping cyclist blamed for 73-acre Idaho wildfire. http://t.co/0z6dmnCdBB pic.twitter.com/AlnJABAzhd
— NBC Bay Area (@nbcbayarea) July 24, 2015
Though the story went viral, the Bureau of Land Management decided to spare the culprit further embarrassment and withhold his identity. Whoever this wildfire-starting cyclist is, we can rest assured that he will probably hold it from now on.
[Image Credit: Wochit/YouTube]
