Firefighters who have been working tirelessly to put out fires in Southern California are not happy with Elon Musk’s new “Not a Flamethrower” device. But the tool is very much a flamethrower, and Musk has already sold 20,000 of them.
The flamethrowers are selling for $500 apiece, though some are listed on eBay for as high as $20,000. But it’s not the price tag that’s worrying California residents. Firefighters in Southern California are concerned the devices are irresponsible and could cause significant damage, considering the state is known for its wildfires, WTXL reported.
“We’ve had three major fires in Orange County just in the last couple of weeks,” Orange County Fire Captain Tony Bommarito said. “Everything’s ready to go. We just didn’t get the rain again this year, so it’s already brown, the moisture’s very low, so anytime you have somebody or kids even playing with these flamethrowers, it’s going to be a recipe for disaster.”
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Musk named his device “Not a Flamethrower” to work around any regulations “enacted to inhibit transport of anything called a Flamethrower.” But California lawmakers say the Tesla executive’s new fire-throwing toys are “incredibly insensitive,” the Washington Post reported.
The name of the device doesn’t change the impact it could have, according to residents. “My concern is, like, if a teenager gets it. Yeah, they don’t make good decisions,” one person told WTXL.
Musk, on Twitter, said he doesn’t think the product will cause any wildfires, “but The Boring Company is donating $10k.”