Who Needs Smokey Bear? Samaritans Catch Firebug, Tie Him to Tree!

Growing up we were bombarded with public service announcements. Way more than we see now. Woodsey Owl telling us not to pollute, “Iron Eyes Cody” (who was Italian, not Native American) urging us not to litter, the famous ads with dolphins grabbing cigarettes out of an unsuspecting person’s mouth to the tune of “We mind very much if you smoke”.

Yes kids, in the 70’s we literally had dolphins with cigarettes. Good times.

My personal favorite was Smokey Bear. Many people may know him better as Smokey THE Bear, but “the” isn’t his middle name. It’s just Smokey Bear. Show some respect!

Smokey would traipse around the forest, shirtless with his fire shovel in hand and fire hat on his head. He wore pants. You’d think they could’ve thrown a shirt on him, but it was the 70’s, I guess they wanted to show off his hairy chest.

Oregon wildfire suspect tied to tree by citizens who caught him, sheriff says https://t.co/a87tYnVlV5 pic.twitter.com/DW5qSNaLg2

— New York Post (@nypost) July 28, 2022

Smokey would remind us that “only you can prevent forest fires”. Pretty big responsibility for a 9-year-old eating Lucky Charms on a Saturday morning.

Thankfully it wasn’t left to just me! Check out what these Smokey Bear wannabes did when they discovered a firebug in rural Oregon. Let’s check Biz Pac Review for the smoldering details:

An Oregon man believed to be behind several wildfires was reportedly tied to a tree after several citizens caught him, according to authorities.

The suspect, a 30-year-old man named Trennon Smith, was reportedly walking down a remote road located near the fires when a Bureau of Land Management (BLM) employee called him in. The employee believed that Smith was starting the fires. As officials worked to battle the blazes he reportedly set, three citizens wrangled the man. When Smith became combative, the group tied him to a tree to wait for authorities.

Let’s just start with this. Perhaps the Bureau of Land Management needs to change its name and acronym. BLM doesn’t exactly carry the most positive connotation. Especially when you are dealing with fires in Oregon. Portland maybe, if 2020 was any indication. Just want to keep the mix-ups to a minimum!

Sounds fair to me. If he DID set the fires, probably should just leave him there. Maybe smear some honey on him? See if any of Smokey’s relatives are hungry for a smackeral of something sweet?

I’m not ADVOCATING leaving him tied to a tree, but if he is killing wildlife and destroying our forests, I’m not saying NOT to leave him tied there either.

Smith was eventually released from the tree, and taken to the hospital to treat some injuries reportedly sustained during a fall. After that, he was taken to Curry County Jail and booked on two counts of first-degree arson and one count of reckless burning.

The fires only managed to burn an acre of land, but officials warned that if the blaze had grown any larger it may have cut off escape routes for people in the area.

Thankfully the outcome was good, and minimal forest was burned.

The question remains, how are we going to blame climate change for forest fires if good citizens are going to actually capture the person that is responsible for the fire? Very short sighted. I’m sure the climate alarmists will have a few words for them.

On a serious note, kudos to the brave citizens that tied this dude up until authorities arrived. People like this need to be off the street, and hopefully that’s where he ends up.