Aspiring Weatherman Arrested for Starting Wildfire for Facebook Views

Johnny Mullins was arrested in Kentucky after starting a wildfire for Facebook views.

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If you’re an aspiring anything, there are plenty of ways to break into your desired field. Work hard. Network. Or just rely on dumb, blind luck. But whatever you do, don’t set fire to things. Unfortunately, that was the chosen path of Johnny Mullins, a 21-year-old Kentucky man whose escapades as an amateur weather man just got him into a whole lot of trouble.

Mullins was arrested and charged with second degree arson after setting a number of fires in wooded areas to attract viewers to his Facebook page, NBC News reported. Mullins told police that he made his videos, which he called “Weather Outlook,” because he craved the attention he received online.

"It's really too bad because he's not a bad kid—he's just misguided," said Jenkins, Kentucky police chief James Stephens said. "He didn't realize how much danger he was putting other people in."

In his final video, Mullins even went so far as to warn local residents about the fire he started, telling them to “Be extremely careful if you're out there.” That video was posted on Nov. 6 and had amassed nearly 3000 views—hardly Kylie Jenner numbers, but not bad if you’re trying to break into the local weather forecasting racket.

A large portion of the Southeast has been ravaged by wildfires over the past few weeks. Kentucky has been hit especially hard, as nearly 400 firefighters battled as many as 20 fires in Kentucky this past Thursday alone. 

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As for Mullins, his career will unfortunately have to be put on hold for the time being. If convicted, he faces up to 20 years in prison, which should give him plenty of time to brush up on his meteorology. 

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