Water Balloon Fireman Fail

    When I was young-12 years old or so-I had a healthy respect for fire.  I could build a great fire on camping trips and in a fireplace and always did so properly and safely.  Being 12 though, I was also a bonehead sometimes.  I had the great idea of flicking matches off of my back deck to catch leaves on fire and then put them out with water balloons.  I put the wooden match head-down on the box and flicked it like it was a paper football, sending it off of my 15 foot deck and into the mostly dry leaves of my back yard.  The striking and ignition process meant they were still burning when they hit the ground, and they would start leaves a-smoldering, allowing me to toss a water balloon on the flames and put it out.  It was quite fun until my neighbor/friend walked outside to see what I was doing.  I was distracted by him and forgot the match I had just sent tumbling and flaming down into the leaves.      Too late, I remembered, and launched my largest balloon onto the flames; this only scattered them out in a burning ring.  It actually spread the fire.  My friend started panicking a little and I was trying to shush him so my mom wouldn't hear and I was starting to panic too.  The next thing I know half of my back yard is on fire and my mother is rushing out to the hose and my friend is grabbing his hose and smoke is everywhere.  I was amazed at how quickly things got out of control. We got all of the fire put out with the hoses luckily but not before most of my yard was black.  I'll always remember how fast it nearly got out of control and how it was actually spread with water.  That always impressed me.