Um, did a 14-year-old really start a New Jersey forest fire during a drought and who are his parents?

Climate change comes for us all. Whether you live on the coast, in the mountains, or the deciduous swamps of New Jersey, the ecological disaster is creeping in. 2023 marked the driest year on record for the world, and the drought left in its wake is likely to last into the foreseeable future.

Despite all of the information we have recorded about the dire conditions we now live in, there are who haven’t gotten the memo. One New Jersey teen has found himself in serious legal trouble after igniting hundreds of acres – and if recent history has taught us anything, he’ll be paying for the rest of his life.  

ABC News is reporting that the perpetrator behind a massive forest fire has been apprehended. The fire, ignited on Oct. 30, burned for several days near Evesham Township, NJ. It chewed through 52 acres of land before firefighters snuffed the blaze. In a statement, police say that, fortunately, the fire didn’t damage any structures.

A multi-bureau investigation was quickly launched, and investigators located evidence identifying the fire as arson rather than an unfortunate accident. The evidence led to a juvenile male, who was arrested without incident on Nov. 7. That same day, a second fire was started in a similar area, and police believe the boy might have been behind the second burn as well.

The second fire tore through 375 acres, but luckily for the offender, the blaze yet again failed to burn land with structures or reach a populated area. The names of the juvenile and those of his parents have not been released.

This is just the most recent reminder of the hazards of a heating planet. Earlier this year, a case surrounding a 2020 California wildfire was finally settled and it was just as ugly as the fire at its heart. A pyrotechnic-laced gender reveal gone wrong resulted in the death of Hotshot Squad firefighter Charles Morton and injured 13 other people. The fire rapidly spread over 75 miles from the point of origin and resulted in millions of dollars worth of property damage. The couple involved pleaded guilty to all charges, with the husband sentenced to 1 year in jail and 2 years of probation. They must serve a combined 600 hours of community service and pay nearly $2 million in restitution.

Climate change has made wildfires much more dangerous to fight. Dry conditions combined with warmer temperatures can cause fires to spread rapidly. The West Coast has been dealing with the increased danger for years now, with nearly 4% of California burning in 2020 alone. This year, the Northeast has been plagued by high fire danger and had little rain. With fires popping up across the country – including in New York City parks and on the tropical islands of Hawaii – and hurricanes dealing unprecedented amounts of damage it’s more important than ever to take decisive action against rising temperatures.

President-elect Donald Trump is a climate skeptic, and his appointment has sent shockwaves of concern through the scientific community. Climate change falls under the Department of Homeland Security, and Trump’s nominee, Kristi Noem, rejects the idea. Trump’s circle has a history of putting power and profit over lives, and with such an incompetent team, the danger climate change presents is only going to get worse.