Fight Fire with Fire (short story)

There is a man who camps frequently on his property. Every week a forest fire burns a part of his forest.

Worried, his neighbours visit him to see what is causing the fires.

When they arrive, he is lighting himself a new campfire in an unburned part of his forest.

“Do you always start your campfire like that?” A neighbour asks him after seeing that he did not dig a firepit.

“Of course. This is how I've always made them.” He replies, whistling joyfully.

“Don't you have frequent forest fires?” Another neighbour questions.

“Yes, and they're terrible. But what does that have to do with how I make my fire?” He answers.

“Well if you dug a firepit and cleared the area, the chances of the fire spreading would greatly decrease.” Another neighbour tells him.

“If a fire wants to get out, it will get out no matter what we do. The best way to fight fire is with fire, which is why I have this.” He shows them a small flamethrower. “You should get some.”

“We don't have forest fires, and when we do, we improve fire safety and rely on the park rangers.” The neighbours try to explain to the man.

“Well I wish I was so lucky. I pray every week that things might change, but they don't.” He answers with a wistful sigh.

The neighbours try to help the man reduce the frequency and severity of the forest fires, but the man refuses to listen to them so they go away.

The fires continue.

-Zero