Having a backyard fire pit is fun for everyone, as long as you are always safe about it.

What would you do if, after putting in a fire pit, the neighbors from two doors down started calling the fire department every time you had a fire?

That is what happened to the family in this story. Eventually, the fire department told the bad neighbor that if they called again, they would be fined. This family and one other neighbor took it a step further and made sure to light a smoky fire anytime the wind was blowing in that direction.

Sure, it might be petty, but it is no more than they deserve. What kind of person wastes fire department resources by reporting a fire that is legally contained in a fire pit? Read through the full story below and see what you think.

My tale of NFH. Three can play at this game!

Quite a long time ago now, my now ex husband and I decided we wanted an outdoor firepit.

Outdoor fire pits can be a lot of fun.

We looked into the city laws, got out the measuring tape to make sure it was far enough from every structure around (and then some), close to the outdoor water supply, and dug a hole and lined and surrounded it with rocks.

We lit the fire. We are experienced campers, and know how to start a fire, but it was a bit smoky at first. Still, it was great!

Who would have called the fire department about this?

We sat there enjoying it for around 20 minutes, when we heard the sounds of sirens. Firefighters came rushing around the side of the house in full gear, ready to put out our tiny, very manageable fire.

“Is this is??” one asked. He asked us some questions about whether we left it unattended (no), how far it was from the house or next door neighbor’s garage (well beyond the regulations) and where the water supply was (again, close enough).

Well, that rules out those neighbors as the callers.

They said someone (unknown) had reported a house on fire, so they had to check it out, but all was fine, keep enjoying!

Of course the arrival of the fire department in force brought our neighbours out to see what was going on, and our next door neighbours, Marc and Kathy, loved the idea of an outdoor fire. We got along really well with them.

I’m pretty sure it is illegal to call the fire department if you know the fire isn’t out of control.

A few days later, we lit another fire, and sure enough, within a short time we heard sirens again. They didn’t rush back this time, but explained that they were legally obligated to check out every call.

Our neighbours put in their own fire pit within a week. None of us had any idea who had called the fire department, but for weeks, every time we (or they) had a fire, they would appear.

Good, they managed to track down who it was.

It got to the point where they would send out one person in a fire dept car, no trucks, no sirens. They’d shake their heads, roll their eyes and explain they had to come out because the call had come in, and they were as frustrated about it as we were.

Turns out it was the couple who lived behind our neighbour. They were rarely, if ever, outside, kept their windows closed and didn’t interact with anyone other than to moan about something or other.

Good, they deserve to be fined. And Kathy seems wonderfully petty.

The fire department finally told them that if they called again for a legal fire, they would be fined, heavily, unless it was truly out of control.

Well–the best part. From then on, every time the wind was blowing in their direction, Kathy would run to start a fire in her yard.

I love this.

She saved damp paper and cardboard to throw on top once it got going, just to be more annoying (we both continued to have fires even when conditions weren’t ideal for making them mad).

Passive aggressive? oh yes. But they were anything but good neighbors.

It seems like some people just can’t let people enjoy themselves. If they were (at least) two houses down, it is unlikely that they could do much more than get a faint smell of the fire, yet they called 911? Crazy.

If you enjoyed this story, check out this post about a tenant who walked away from their lease after the landlord hassled them over renting month-to-month.

Read on to see what the people in the comments have to say about the situation.

Well, 4 feet away should be illegal. These people were a whole yard away.

You have to love that petty revenge.

Even if they weren’t, they were having fun.

Burning toxic garbage is a whole different thing.

You can’t expect the world to cater to your conditions.

If the smoke from a fire pit bothers you, the last thing you want to do is antagonize the people having the fire. Why didn’t the neighbors just talk to them and try to work something out? Going right to the fire department is a crazy move.

I would assume that they regret their actions now since they are dealing with way more fires and smoke than ever before.

If you enjoyed this story, check out this post about a customer complaint that led to them losing their VIP status.