Wildfires may cause debilitating effects on the environmental landscape. Despite the deadly risks of playing with fire, homes may be burned to the ground, wildlife may lose its habitat, pollution may permeate clean air, and carbon dioxide may be released into the earth’s atmosphere. Given the negative consequences of large fires, the United States has routinely investigated the source of wildfires and has held certain individuals responsible for starting them. In this most recent wildfire settlement, a Mariposa County, California resident agreed to pay $950,000 to compensate for his part in initiating a 2016 blaze, known as the “Old Fire.” Continue reading