Fired-up Karen calls fire department for nothing, so the entire neighborhood retaliates against her

Author image for Remy Millisky
Remy Millisky • Writer and Editor
Mar 8, 2023 11:00 AM EST

Nosy neighbors always have too much time on their hands to start pointless feuds. In this case, Karen not only ignited a neighborhood fight, she also wasted valuable resources. 

This person shared their wild tale from a few years ago, when they first moved into a duplex. The trouble stared the day they moved in, when Karen began interrogating her new neighbor. Acting like she was the HOA, she told the OP that all fire pits and bonfires are banned from the street, then asked lots more invasive question. The OP just ignored her, but after a few months, they decided to put up some tiki torches to keep bugs away. Karen didn't like that! As Karens often do, she made her problem everyone else's problem too. She called up the local fire department to complain, not just once, but several times! What a waste of a fire department's time. 

Next up, this high schooler completely ruined a $1000 uniform when he just couldn't follow some simple instructions. 

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  • 01
    Font - 'Half a dozen fire fighters rush by me to my front yard... I have no idea what's going on'
    via Lee Vue
  • 02
    Font - r/pettyrevenge. Posted by u/ihavea saskmehow 1 day ago You get a tiki torch, you get a tiki torch. You all get tiki torches!! Tldr: next door neighbor calls the fire department on me for legal tiki torches so I decked the neighborhood out in them. I'm on phone btw.
    via r/pettyrevenge
  • 03
    Font - This happened a couple years ago. I rent an apartment, in a duplex. The lease says no smoking inside which isn't a problem for me. But smoking outside does lead to two problems. One, being the mosquitos. The other being my neighbor, let's just call her Karen.
    via r/pettyrevenge
  • 04
    Font - When I first moved in Karen came right up to me as I was moving boxes and followed me around to ask me questions and lay down the rules of the neighborhood as if she's the homeowners association. She told me that fire pits and bonfires (this will come into play later) arent allowed because the street has had a gas leak before, it's actually a city ordinance that nobody really listens to. Anyways at first I thought the questions was just a friendly neighbor getting to know me but it quickl
    via r/pettyrevenge
  • 05
    Font - Anyways I just kept my head down and kept conversations kind of limited whenever I saw her. I was mean or cold to her but definitely not as friendly as I could've been. But a few months go by and summer starts to pick up as do the mosquitoes in my area. At first I tried sprays but they don't work great at repelling. Then I tried citronella candles but because I would blow them out when I was done smoking the wax wouldn't melt evenly and I would waste a lot. So I landed on tiki torches. I
    via r/pettyrevenge
  • 06
    Font - So I'm sitting on my bench when I hear firetruck sirens. I live near a firestation so that's not unusual. Until they turn down my street. I'm watching as they pull up to my house. It's a narrow street so my first though was that my car and my neighbor across the street were parked in a way blocking them from going down the street. So I run inside to grab my keys and dash to my car. But right as I'm at the side walk half a dozen fire fighters rush by me to my front yard, to the tiki torch.
    via r/pettyrevenge
  • 07
    Font - One of them leans up close to me and yells in my ear "WHAT IS THAT" A tiki torch! I replied still confused. "WHAT ARE YOU BURNING" it's a tiki torch! i repeated exasperated and confused. A few of them go back and turn off the siren and tell me one of my neighbors must hate me. They were called for an out of control firepit. What they saw was a tiki torch with no flammable material around it, being watched by an adult. They said it's fine to have a tiki torch and they went on their way.
    via r/pettyrevenge
  • 08
    Font - NOW imagine my surprise when the very next day. I'm on my porch, tiki torch going and I hear sirens again! I think they can't be me, but lo and behold they turn down my street! I calmly cap the torch and wait for them. And now they were mad! They didn't know who called because they were dispatched by 911 but they told me if it happens again they were going to file miss use of emergency service charges against "whoever". Now I'm annoyed too. I'm not in the wrong, this one neighbor doesn't
    via r/pettyrevenge
  • 09
    Font - So my petty revenge plan came almost immediately. I went back to the grocery store I bought the tiki torch a few days earlier and cleaned them out. I bough 8 and tons of citronella oil. I think the stockpile of citronella I have is more of a fire hazard than an actual fire pit. But yeah I handed out them all to the neighbors in view of Karen and explained why I'm giving it and if they ever need the fluid to just text me. They all thought it was hilarious! So within the coming months my ne
    via r/pettyrevenge
  • 10
    Font - Meredith_mmm - 21 hr. ago . I cannot believe she did it twice. What a waste of resources. I hope the dispatcher was able to get a record and fine her! Wtf! 418 Reply Share mayormcheeser. 10 hr. ago Right I want an update on that and did she call on everybody
    via u/Meredith_mmm
  • 11
    Plant - bhalrog72 20 hr. ago I'd've let Karen call a third time, have her charged, THEN distribute the tikis.
    via u/bhalrog72
  • 12
    Font - Working Turn_6625 · 21 hr. ago Good on you. On the other hand your neighbour is wasting emergency services time and potentially delaying the time it would take to get to another fire. You should definitely report her for that.
    via u/Working_Turn_6625
  • 13
    Font - Lizlodude +3. 19 hr. ago Just from the tldr, I'm imagining OP sitting in the front lawn on a reconstruction of the Survivor council set
    via u/Lizlodude
  • 14
    Human body - No_Bear_No. 13 hr. ago Invite the firefighters to the next tiki party!
    via u/No_Bear_ No
  • 15
    Font - StnMtn_ +2. 21 hr. ago You sound like a great neighbor. Come shovel my driveway next time it snows. Oh, we also need two more tiki torches.
    via u/StnMtn_
  • 16
    Font - Excellent-Ostrich908 19 hr. ago. edited 15 hr. ago "You get a tiki torch! And you get a tiki torch!! Everybody gets a tiki torch!!!"
    via u/Excellent-Ostrich908
  • 17
    Human body - tower_wendy 3 hr. ago As a firefighter who gets toned out for BS calls like this I hate Karen too
    via u/tower_wendy
  • 18
    Font - snewton_8 +1 -2 hr. ago They didn't know who called because they were dispatched by 911 but they told me if it happens again they were going to file miss use of emergency service charges against "whoever". I think you jumped the gun on giving a torch to everyone. I would have held off and burned mine again in hopes the Karen would call them again! That is not a cheap ticket.
    via u/
  • 19
    Font - climbhigher420 20 hr. ago She might be annoying but so are tiki torches, you don't have to get a gang of tiki torch bullies to exert your dominance if you are not breaking any laws other than being annoying.
    via u/
  • 20
    Font - Renbarre +3. 19 hr. ago I guess the person(s) who could need the firemen while they were distracted by a call about a tiki torch would think otherwise.
    via u/Renbarre
  • 21
    Font - 10 hr. ago Accomplished-Ad3219 How are tiki torches annoying?
    via u/Accomplished-Ad3219
  • 22
    Font - BeKind72 1 hr. ago Karen about to get voted off the HOA and have her torch extinguished.
    via u/BeKind72

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Tags

neighbors fire karen hoa tiki-torches nosy petty revenge
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