Friend's brother sets fires to mattress

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82 Comments

My friend lives with his brother who likes to set little fires to his mattress because he says enjoys the smoke and burning mattress smell it gives out. He sets little fires to spots on the mattress until it leaves a black hole and a certain deal of smoke. He says that he won't allow the whole room or house to catch on fire and he stands by the little fires he makes with a glass of water, and he says that he puts them out before anything really bad happens, and so far he has. But still, it seems to me that one of these times he won't get so lucky and will cause a bigger more destructive fire. I've gotten uncomfortable being there now, and I'm only there because his brother, my friend, is a really good guy and we've hit it off as friends. But I'm seriously wondering if I should go hang out with him anymore because of what his brother is doing. And I'm on to him about getting away from his brother, but it is his brother and he can't afford to stay there alone because he can't afford to without his brother's help. What are some of your all thoughts on this?

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14% Normal
Based on 35 votes (5 yes)
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Comments ( 82 )
  • paramore93
    5 years ago

    Fire is fascinating. I think it's normal to be interested in fire. However it's much less normal to be setting your mattress on fire. Why don't you take him camping and let him build a proper fire? Get his fire fix safely.

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    • lordofopinions
      5 years ago

      He is a fire bug in training. Not at all normal.

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    • Anonymous Post Author
      5 years ago

      Yeah, it would be a little more acceptable if he was doing this outside, but he's doing it in his bedroom.

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      • insanebotv21
        5 years ago

        Pretty sure he's getting off to that shit...

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  • RoseIsabella
    5 years ago

    That's really fucked up! That guy belongs in an asylum. Unfortunately we don't really institutionalize people anymore.

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    • Anonymous Post Author
      5 years ago

      Yeah, it's also kind of weird for his reason for doing it, because he loves the smell of burning smoking polyurethane, which is what the mattress is made of. It's a weird smell but he's getting off on it, that is weird to me.

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      • RoseIsabella
        5 years ago

        He sounds like a fucked up person.

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    • paramore93
      5 years ago

      D:

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      • RoseIsabella
        5 years ago

        Why the long face?

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        • paramore93
          5 years ago

          If the old asylum system was still in place I'd probably still be in one. I imagine IIN would be fairly quiet too :P

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          • RoseIsabella
            5 years ago

            I'm not saying I don't belong in one myself, but setting fires is dangerous, and inexcusable.

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            • paramore93
              5 years ago

              Ahh yeah that is true! Sorry, had a vision of myself at 70 playing scrabble in the community room and got scared.

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    • IrishPotato
      5 years ago

      That's a bit over the top, don't you think?

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      • Anonymous Post Author
        5 years ago

        I don't know, he's posing a danger with what he's doing, it's not an impossible idea for him to be locked up, if his little mattress fires get out of hand and burns his place down, he could go to prison for arson since he is deliberately starting the fires, even though it's not his intentions for them to get too big.

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        • IrishPotato
          5 years ago

          Yes, it really is. A psychiatric institution? Do you even know how horrible that is? Just make him stop.

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          • RoseIsabella
            5 years ago

            It's not horrible to send a pyromaniac away.

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          • Anonymous Post Author
            5 years ago

            It is messed up. I don't know how to make him stop, but I will stop going over there

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      • McBean
        5 years ago

        I suppose it's sort of like Catholic schools, except there is no homework.

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        • Alichael
          5 years ago

          How is a Catholic school like an asylum?

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        • paramore93
          5 years ago

          I hope it never happens but you may change your mind if you ever end up in one, even today.

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        • IrishPotato
          5 years ago

          I've never been to one.

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    • [Old Memory]
      5 years ago

      You’re judgmental. And you know what asylums do?? Absolutely fucking NOTHING! I was in one and they just locked me up in a room and drew blood from me every day and then let me go. They don’t give a flying shit about people or their welfare.

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      • Usernane
        5 years ago

        Very true. I was in 1 for 9 days (they only let me out since i had no insurance at time and the county i lived in wouldn't pay for it)
        Imagine that, if you don't have insurance and live in a smaller county, you can be crazier than a shithouse rat and be released.

        Not that I'm crazy :D

        But while i was there, i slept for almost 3 days straight, they didn't draw blood once but they did checks every 3 hours, gave us 3 meals from cafeteria (which kinda sucked but I'm a picky eater) and let us watch whatever we wanted on the tv, even violent and adult stuff lol (this hospital had cinemax :-O)
        But the craziest thing i saw was the girl who wouldn't let anyone touch her and refused to change or even take off her leggings, one time after medication handout, she ran down the hall and tried to jump out of the window, which was double paned with metal bars criss cross inside, she flew back about a yard or two and started snoring, a cpl nurses took her leggings off, put a gown on and gave her a shot to calm her when she came to.

        After i saw that, i started hoarding Graham crackers and prune juice since i didn't have an appetite the first 3 days and since i was constipated, i wasn't letting any of those poorly paid, bad attitude "nurse" staff anywhere near my compacted asshole.

        :/

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      • RoseIsabella
        5 years ago

        ... and I'm also right! If that person was related to me Is kick them out in the street. I'm not cool with some idiot playing with fire.

        You have no idea what I know, and don't know. Don't do crazy shit, and you won't end up in a psychiatric ward.

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        • Anonymous Post Author
          5 years ago

          I totally agree with you Rose. It is seriously moronic to light fires indoors for the smell, and not realize or care about the seriousness of burning your home down, possibly burning who's in it to death, or if not that them dying from inhaling the toxic fumes and getting carbon monoxide poisoning. People have died from that alone from indoor fires even if they never got one burn mark on them. My friend's messed up bro doesn't realize how likely it is for all that to happen from what he's doing.

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          • RoseIsabella
            5 years ago

            I really feel sorry for your friend! He needs to keep the smoke detector batteries fresh.

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            • Anonymous Post Author
              5 years ago

              Yes.

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        • [Old Memory]
          5 years ago

          I sure hope you never have children.

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          • RoseIsabella
            5 years ago

            You probably shouldn't have them either, kid.

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            • [Old Memory]
              5 years ago

              I don’t plan too. My genes are bad.

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  • [Old Memory]
    5 years ago

    Normal. I set fire tissue boxes on fire for fun and then spray it out with a hose. Tell him to move it outside though so it doesn’t burn other things accidentally.

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    • Usernane
      5 years ago

      Ok...but that's not normal either lol

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    • Anonymous Post Author
      5 years ago

      As long as you're doing it outside, but even then the fascinations of wanting to set fire to things still may set off red flags about you to some people. But, it would set off a much bigger red flag if you were doing it inside. Whether it's tissue boxes or a mattress, setting fires off on purpose inside is dangerous.

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      • [Old Memory]
        5 years ago

        Yeah. I only do it outside where I can spray it.

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        • Anonymous Post Author
          5 years ago

          That's good.

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  • MasterChives
    5 years ago

    Oh no ways! This is a great opportunity to have some fun. Chives has a full proof 4 step programme that never fails. NEVER!

    1) Soak his clothes in petrol.

    2) Dry said clothes.

    3) Then say "Hey Timmy.. you little asshole, hey go start one of those matress fires we all love and is not insane in the slightest"

    4) Stand back and enjoy the show.

    Bamn.. Oh and if he lives you can bet your ass he won't be doing that shit no more!

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  • claresse
    5 years ago

    is ur friend's brother, by any chance, aleks from cow chop???

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  • Foxboy15
    5 years ago

    First the mattress next the table then the house.

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    • Anonymous Post Author
      5 years ago

      Yep.

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  • bigbudchonga
    5 years ago

    Ye this is really bad. From you're own perspective though I wouldn't worry about going over there, probability is heavily with you. Idk how securely probability is on the side of the other permanent residents. If you could get them to do this, then get them to put smoke detectors in his room, or if he won't allow that then advise them to get smoke detectors in the hallway directly outside his room, so at least everyone else will be saved.

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    • Anonymous Post Author
      5 years ago

      Ok. There is a smoke detector there but it's not by his room, he should definitely move it to there. I'm sure that he's cared about whether he sets it off or not, but he better start caring about the smoke detector.

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      • Boojum
        5 years ago

        If the brother is as messed up as what you say suggests, then your friend should make it a habit to keep an eye on the smoke alarm. I wouldn't put it past the brother to remove the battery so his games aren't disturbed.

        It seems to me that the bottom line of all this is that you've done what you can to point out the dangers to your friend. That's your only moral duty as a friend. It's not your responsibility to deal with the brother's problems, and you can't force your friend to act.

        The only thing that would alter this is if the two men are living in a building with other occupants. If that is the case and I was in your position, I'd make an anonymous suggestion to the landlord that he do an inspection of the apartment and its furnishings. That might end up with the two of them being evicted, but I wouldn't want to live with knowing I'd seen a disaster coming and did nothing about it.

        Your friend's brother has the right to kill himself by his idiotic actions and your friend has the right to ignore his brother's dangerous behaviour if he wishes to do, but any other people who might be affected by those actions have the right to know that they're at risk.

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        • bigbudchonga
          5 years ago

          Oh wow ye I didn't think about him removing the batteries. I think there might be smoke detectors that maybe you can't remove the batteries from without obviously breaking it

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        • Anonymous Post Author
          5 years ago

          Exactly. No, they're in a house, not an apartment building, but like I said, I'm worried about my friend. However, he is a grown man so he needs to be the one now to do something.

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  • Nickvey
    5 years ago

    if you have a nut sack with some balls in it you should decide what to do and stop asking other people.

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    • Anonymous Post Author
      5 years ago

      I've done what I can, I've told my friend to make his brother stop doing it and I've stopped hanging out with my friend at his house. And there's nothing wrong with asking opinions of other people on this site, that's what these sites are for, people are always posting questions on this site about every topic under the sun in case you haven't noticed.

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  • IrishPotato
    5 years ago

    I somehow had like glue or plastic stuck to my sheet one time and instead of cutting it off or washing it I decided to burn it off, and it was pretty satisfying melding that stuff.

    What he does though, seems pretty dangerous to do.

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    • Anonymous Post Author
      5 years ago

      It is, it's made me nervous being at that house.

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  • Boojum
    5 years ago

    Your OP implies that your friend and his brother are adults. If so, I believe the brother has problems, and you'd be wise to avoid him.

    It's not unusual for pre-adolescent and teenage boys to be fascinated by fire, but this is usually no more than one of those phases. Maybe the brother will continue to limit himself to setting his own property on fire, but it's possible he'll start looking for bigger thrills. And you're right about the possibility of his mattress fires getting out of hand. He says it's about the smell, but it's possible it's also about the thrill of the danger. If that's so, then it would be natural for him to progress to taking more and more risks, and he could one day find himself with a fire he can't put out with just a glass of water.

    At the very least, your friend should buy a smoke detector so he gets some warning if his brother's games should ever set the place on fire.

    You might want to have a read of the following. If it rings any bells with you, then you might consider passing it on to your friend.

    https://www.psychologytoday.com/gb/conditions/pyromania

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    • Anonymous Post Author
      5 years ago

      My friend's brother is 40, my friend is 42, they're living together cause neither of them can afford to live alone right now, I don't think my friend's brother should be living alone with what he's doing. From what I know, he's doing it more from the smell than the thrill, he's loving the smell of the burning polyurethane, which is weird, and what he's doing is potentially dangerous.

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      • RoseIsabella
        5 years ago

        The fumes are probably toxic.

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      • Boojum
        5 years ago

        He's weird and damn stupid.

        "...polyurethanes form carbon monoxide, hydrogen cyanide and other toxic products on decomposition and combustion."

        https://firesciencereviews.springeropen.com/articles/10.1186/s40038-016-0012-3

        I don't know what sort of help is available where you live for people with dangerous impulses such as this, but your friend should be looking into this if he can't get his brother to behave more responsibly.

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