A retired nuclear physicist tinkering with his homemade electric fence ignited the wildfire that roared through half of Lory State Park, forcing hundreds from their homes west of Fort Collins.

The spark that started the 1,348-acre Galena Fire in March leapt from an 18-inch PVC pipe with two wires coming out. The device was one of many do-it-yourself projects keeping George Rinker occupied in retirement. Some had led to unintended results or scared neighbors, but nothing compared to this mistake.

Home electric project gone awry spawned 1,348-acre Galena Fire | The Coloradoan | coloradoan.com

We should definitely let brilliant government scientists do large scale tampering with the earth’s atmosphere.