Am I being ridiculous, and what would you have done?

Hi all,

So, I was on a canoe trip this week with 6 other guys and one night, while drinking, we had a decent sized fire in a pit on a pretty messy site (when I say messy, I mean covered in pine needles and dry fallen twigs and branches from massive pines all around us).
One of the guys decided it was a good idea to take an old dry pine tree and stick it into the fire (standing up) to create a "Christmas tree". I argued that it was a bad idea after this hot dry summer and we had a pretty massive fight over it, but 6 guys basically kept quiet as we yelled at each other and he eventually made it smaller even though I was completely against it.
I heard the usual taunts of being a party pooper etc. as I stood near the pit as this 3-4 foot standing timber started to burn upwards, and they laughed as I stomped out embers that were landing on the ground.
One guy said "there are 7 guys here and it rained a bit so what are you worried about?".
I had to once again reiterate the fact that it was a dry summer, a little bit of rain means very little, and that a fire can quickly spread faster than 7 guys can move with a single bucket. Especially with family cottages on the lake.

Was I completely conservative and being a stickler? And, how would you have handled this?

Where were you that an open fire ban wasn't in effect?

Find friends who are less likely to behave stupidly when under the influence...that's step one...

Ask these guys when they are sober if they think it was a good idea. If they say "yes" then you should look for friends that aren't morons to camp/fish with. My.02. and thank you for being safe with our out doors.....................Daniel

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Originally Posted by Bluebulldog

Where were you that an open fire ban wasn't in effect?

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Chiniguchi

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Originally Posted by boogaloo

Ask these guys when they are sober if they think it was a good idea. If they say "yes" then you should look for friends that aren't morons to camp/fish with. My.02. and thank you for being safe with our out doors.....................Daniel

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I argued that we could stop by a ministry office and see what they had to say.
I told the guy I have one motto that I live by..."Don't be that guy". And if he wants to be that guy, don't do it in my company.
Still, they think I'm being completely ridiculous on this one.

I would have done the same as you. There' s a reason fire bans get put in place, that's a good example of one.

Whoever invited that guy should have their "bring a friend" privileges revoked.

I would have stood with you MG. lately a lot of friends have been posting pics of back yard fires. Some I ignore because despite bans near everywhere they are quite small. A couple others I've sent private messages to just politely asking if it's really wise. Part of the problem is people just don't realize how little it takes, and how fast grass fires take off. Faster than the pine tree your friend threw on the fire. When they said "well there's been some rain". I'd have pointed at said tree and said. Doesn't seem to make much difference....

If it's continuing post trip. Send them the links to the fires in Algonquin that were burning the week you were away.

Good on you sir. I'd not go out with these guys any more if I were you

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Originally Posted by JBen

I would have stood with you MG. lately a lot of friends have been posting pics of back yard fires. Some I ignore because despite bans near everywhere they are quite small. A couple others I've sent private messages to just politely asking if it's really wise. Part of the problem is people just don't realize how little it takes, and how fast grass fires take off. Faster than the pine tree your friend threw on the fire. When they said "well there's been some rain". I'd have pointed at said tree and said. Doesn't seem to make much difference....

If it's continuing post trip. Send them the links to the fires in Algonquin that were burning the week you were away.

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AND...let them know how much the bill would be to fight a fire, billed to the knucklehead that started it !

Hasn't it rain a lot rain last week, all over Ontarion? There is currently no restriction where you were so maybe a party pooper....
But if it seems right to you , so be it.