http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/89834713/house-burned-down-after-teens-burnout-went-horribly-wrong

Linked here because the details are from the summary judgement by the courts and not really open to creative journalism.

Stupidity abounds in this one, and it looks pretty epic. But the cost of this idiocy is once again being borne by all of us - ALL OF US:

1. The loss of the Housing NZ home

2. The callout from the fire services

3. The hospital treatment of the individuals in question

4. The subsequent police investigation

5. The trial and judicial process

I shudder to think what the full bill is, but it's clearly not $155k. The closing 3 sentences are the kicker though:

"As a penalty, Sygrove ordered Grant to complete 150 hours of community work. 

As the teen had no job or any form of income, no order was made for the loss incurred by the fire.

"There is no way you can possibly pay that without any means," Sygrove said."