Small Mistakes That Cost Millions To Fix

A Lost Hiker and His Flaregun – $1.7 billion

Have you heard of the 273,000-acre Cedar Fire in California? The 2003 travesty was caused by one man who was fighting for his life during an unplanned hike in the forest. When he got lost, he set off a flare gun to catch the attention of the authorities.

The only problem? His shot went straight into the trees causing them to catch fire in a matter of seconds. He definitely got the attention he needed – but at what cost? The resulting fire cost the state around $1.7 billion in damages.