Charles Darwin's Darwin Awards 
HOME
Darwin Awards
At-Risk Survivors
Slush Pile
2009 April Rejects
Man Crushed By Minivan
Beauty & Brains, but not Trains
Man Crushed To Death While Trying T
It all simply added up...
Neighbors Go To War Over 4-Year-Old
dad died stuck between wall & post
italy: man drills a ww1 gas-bomb
Cop biker escape from pals
4/20 fall
“Found in Forest”
Winnebego Wreck
wrong-way Bike
NOTE: Do not Arrest People at Shoot
I shot my Mom
The Wrong Burger
One less Drug Dealer in Limerick
Man set house on fire while trying
Man set house on fire while trying
2 motorcyclists dead in an illegal
Wis. teen allegedly steals from car
Man pretending to fall off bridge
Man is not a bird and should't fly
Man "fakes"fall off of bridge falls
Russian Roulette with Semi-Auto
Hey, I'm Falling, JUST KIDDINNN...!
Russian Roullete-Teen loses
Man falls to his death at high-rise
Man pretending to fall off bridge a
Man Pretends to Fall off Bridge
Hey Y'all Watch This!
Road Rage "Suicide?"
Man pretending to fall off bridge a
Man pretending to fall off bridge a
Failed Procreation
Grenade accident kills Yemen Gitmo
Woman burnt to death after setting
DWI Brilliance
"Katyusha" APR 23 2009
Microsoft
Woman burns car
Fishing While Drunk
Flying into sheep while texting
Croc Bait
Road-raging woman incinerates self
Make A Bang!
Brilliant Linguist, not engineer
Road Rage Burn
Serena Sutton-Smith
Woman burnt to death after setting
Woman burnt to death after setting
Woman burnt to death after setting
Too angry to leave burning car.
Driver Burns to Death After Lightin
Woman burnt to death
Woman burnt to death
Woman burnt to death
Woman burnt to death after setting
Road rage ignites car
Road rage self-immolation
Woman really burning with anger!
Road Rage gets Hot
The Tuft Of Grass
lost key
Woman burnt to death after setting
Man sets himself on fire
Croc Bait
Realistic Acting
You've Got Mail!
9mm Idiot
Damori Miles the Wrestling Fan
Manual? I don't need no manual.
Natural selection through Arrogance
Limerick gangster blows his head of
Stun Gun Sterilisation
Autoshot!
Rambo Dies in 100mph Cop Chase
Jump out of the pool
Laughing Gas Kills Comedian
Not a Laughing Matter
homemade parachute
Laughing at Porn
Cucumber *Anal*ysis
Scojo's scripts
Obamination Administration
Man dies after bottle mishap
Polish tourist falls to his death p
Don't Bite the Hand that Feeds You
fan belt installation
Victim of Choice
Man falls to his death
Skydiver failed to fasten leg strap
(pending) Suicide by Mass Military
Car Spooning
flamedance
Drunken Jump into a waterfall
Just a little swim
Expert Skydiver doesnt strap chute
Joke photo man in 300 feet plunge d
Pedestrian on phone killed by truck
Hanging tuft
Tourists see man die in cliff fall
Better blood pressure measurement?
High-Speed Sex
Falling for you !
Dying for a cigarette
A real cliff-hanger
Woman dies in 15-storey fall from b
Cliff death man poses for photo
Say Cheese and Die
paper airplanes are made of paper
The dangers of photography
Cliff fall
Cliffhanger Ending
Silly photo op
Cliff death man 'posed for photo'
Grassed Up
Hanging On By A Blade Of Grass
Cliff death man 'posed for photo'
Man dies posing for photo
Cliff Death Man posed for photo
Smile for the cameraaaaaaaaaaaagh!
Cliff Hanger
Cliff death man posed for photo
Cliffhanging Photo Opportunity
Tourists see man die in cliff fall
Teacher Fails Firearm Safety Class
Photo Op
Polar Bear Mauls Woman @ Berlin Zo0
good grass
Polar bear and idiot
Near mis: Polar Bear attacks woman:
two young men died in isar
The hard way back to the pub.
Darwin award winner south of Darwin
Drunken Swims With Crocs
I'm Stupid - Bear With Me
Woman kills herself while parking
Crocodile kills swimmer in Australi
woman mauled by polar bear at Berli
Drink This
teen electrocuted was fleeing polic
Act Before You Think
Indianapolis woman dies trying to s
Train Kills Pedestrian
Cleaning Up is Ablaze
Crushed during escape attempt
Man decides to clean with gasoline
Man decides to clean with gasoline
Robber Whoops
Paul Broyer
Boat Crewman Chokes to Death
Splitting Headache
Would-be robber dies of gunshot wou
Shooting victim dies after attempte
Shooting victim dies after attempte
Couple dies from carbon monoxide
Evolution Meets Intelligent Design
Slip sliding away
Short-circuit Staples
Evading £12 sterling (18 USD) costs
Sleepy under water
Low blow
Smoke Signals
Fool me once...
Avoiding cab fare cost teen his lif
IQ failure
Scam Suspect is down in the Gump
Afghan bomber accidentally blows up
Authorities arrest man injured whil
Saybrook man wanted to feel pain...
Man drowns rescuing cigarettes
Deckhand chokes to death on bait fi
Down the Hatch!
Nothing fishy about it
Intoxicated driver’s stranded Ferra
dying to win
Arab Pilots
Doofus provokes rabid bobcat
Man chokes on fish
Man swallows nail scissors while us
Deckhand chokes on bait fish
Sailor Chokes to Death in Front of
The Improvised Barbecue
Man follows Sat-nav over cliff.
Deckhand Chokes in Front of Student
Bait Fish Kills Fisherman
Blowing up balloons
Really good bait
Run over by own van
man chokes on fish
Fishing Trip Didn't End Well
Murderer dies concealing crime
Gas Station Moron
Suspect Dies Fleeing Across U.S. 27
Deckhand chokes to death on bait fi
Great balls of fire
Sailor chokes to death on bait fish
A Fishy Story
Joking deckhand chokes on bait in f
Something's Fishy
Man Chokes on Fish Bait
Man swallows fish for students
Deckhand chokes to death on bait fi
Joke Chokes Deckhand
Drunk driving on a BAR STOOL
Tragedy at Sea
A bad day fishing...
Woman's Head Deposited At Bank
Man crushed by his own van
Man Listening To MP3 Player Hit By
Idiot with a bulletproof vest
Older Rejects 
 
~ Random Story ~
Email Alert!
NEW! Gift Shop
Rules  Search
Contact Darwin
Submit a Story
Philosophy Forum
Home

  

Darwin Awards
2009 Slush Pile

This item was recently submitted by a reader.
Should I include it in the archive?
Vote to tell me what *you* think!

Smoke Signals

2009 Reader Submission
Pending Acceptance

In the wake of the Victorian Bushfires and the loss of over 180 people I thought this fool below deserves an honourable mention. To believe that lighting a fire to attract people’s attention in the Australian Summer just smacks of stupidity.

Being one of the volunteer fire fighters involved in this operation I was concerned to hear that a member of the public was trapped by the fire line in a patch of blackberry bushes and in danger of being burnt. Being back at a station coordinating crews I was in a position to listen to the whole thing unfold on the radio. I listened as those on the ground directed water bombers to drop loads of water onto the person to protect him from the fire. I then listened as they formed up a special crew, armed with secateurs no doubt, to free the man from his entanglement. Then later in the week I read the bellow articles and found out the clown lit the fire to attract attention. The same fire that endangered his own life and threatened a number of homes and potentially others lives. In hindsight it seems a shame our water bomber pilots are so accurate. Enjoy the read!

From The Courier: http://thecouriernews.blogspot.com/2009/04/man-charged-over-bushfire.html

Thursday, April 02, 2009

Man charged over bushfire

A Parkside man who allegedly lit a fire in Englebrook Reserve at

Bridgewater on Sunday because he got stuck in blackberries and wanted

to signal for help was arrested at the scene of the blaze. The 62-year-old had to be minded by Hills firefighters while they

battled the flames sweeping the heritage-listed scrub. After his rescue he was charged with lighting a bushfire and lighting

a fire in the open during fire danger season. He was bailed to appear

in the Mt Barker Magistrates Court in June. Fire crews were called to the Wattle Street side of the reserve

around 4pm.

Excerpt from The Courier [Courier home].

* The Advertiser: http://www.news.com.au/adelaidenow/story/0,22606,25259149-5006301,00.html

Parkside man arrested over Engelbrecht Reserve fire

A PARKSIDE man who was rescued from blackberry bushes amid a bushfire at Bridgewater yesterday has been charged with lighting the blaze.

The man, 62, was initially thought to be a bushwalker, but after being rescued and questioned he was charged with deliberately lighting a bushfire.

He was granted bail to appear in Mt Barker Magistrates Court in June.

CFS Lieutenant Gerold Seppelt said two of his crew risked their own safety to rescue the man.

"They basically disentangled him from the blackberries and dragged him with the aid of a police officer who went down with them to go and sit in a burnt area so they were safe," he said.

Before the arrest, a number of local residents shuddered at the thought the fire could have been deliberately lit.

"I just hope this wasn't started by an arsonist ... I don't like it," Vic Jones said as he hosed down a tree burning metres from a home.

Mr Jones said the fire highlighted the need for backburning in the Adelaide Hills, which has been on high fire alert all summer.

"If they don't start doing something they're going to lose a lot of lives through here I tell you now," Mr Jones said.

"Not just here but down through Blackwood and all over the place, they've got to start taking it seriously and they haven't done it."

A number of residents fled their homes as the blaze spread from Engelbrecht Reserve on the outskirts of Bridgewater towards homes.

Locals including Leigh Taylor abandoned their efforts to stop the flames as the blaze gained momentum around 5pm.

"It was burning pretty slowly and once it got to the other side of the gully there was a gust of wind and it just come flying up the hill," Mr Taylor said.

"We were down the back with the hoses and the Land Cruiser and the fire unit, and we just said "nup, we're going to get out of there, it was coming too quick."

The blaze went within metres of the home of Patrick Welby, who said he was determined to stay and defend his property.

He said without quick intervention by CFS volunteers, his home of 16 years would have been lost.

"Without them, certainly the house below would have gone up, at one point there were flames probably 30 or 40 feet high directly in front of the house," Mr Welby said.

Other residents said their neighbourhood would have gone up in flames if not for a fleet of water bombers which made about 30 aerial drops to attack the fire.

Kym Kotz said he believed his neighbour's home across Ophir Ave was about to ignite when a water bomber dumped thousands of litres of water.

"It got to within probably three feet of the eaves, so then the fire brigade were here and they controlled this bit of road, but the bombers did the work, they were unbelievable," he said.

Firefighters are expected to remain in the area for at least another two days, mopping up and dousing spot fires

Submitted on 04/04/2009

Submitted by: Jason
Reference: The Courier an Adelaide Hills News paper (April 2nd 2009) & The Advertiser (30th March 2009)

Copyright © 2009 DarwinAwards.com

>> Moderator Scores <<

Bruce said:
Definitely Toss: Lacks Excellence
Thanks, but I just don't see that this reaches the level of a true Darwin. We get lots of stories of people setting fires for various reasons and getting caught in the resulting inferno.


James said:
Definitely Toss: Lacks Excellence
I have to concur with Bruce. I was LOOKING for a reason to keep this, but just couldn't find one. Thanks just the same, Jason!


The Darwin Awards Gift Shop

The Darwin Awards Condom

Keep yourself out of the gene pool!
A condom in a matchbook, useful for emergency contraception, bachelor parties, frat parties, and important rites of passage. LOADED inside and out with funny quotes and stories. Everyone loves this item!
Friends don't let friends reproduce!
$13 for Pack of 4

 

 

Slush Pile
Slush Pile Rejects

HomeRulesFAQsAwardsSlushSite Map
DarwinAward | HonorableMention | PersonalAccount | UrbanLegend