A British man’s burning desire to see firefighters up close led him to torch his own house twice in one night, drawing emergency crews for his personal viewing pleasure. Obsession with firefighters and arson collide in Northumberland, where this unconventional fan took hero worship to inferno-level extremes—earning him a suspended sentence and legendary status in odd news.

James Brown’s story blazed through UK weird news after court records revealed he’d called the fire brigade 80 times in a single year. His lawyer claims he’s now “extremely remorseful,” refraining from any fire service contact since his Ashington arrest.