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I'm more on the teach than just scare side of this. He's at the age where he's supposed to be learning how to build a fire, learn about fireworks, etc. So he's doing exactly what he's supposed to do. It's only up to you whether in scouts or in the basement. A healthy respect for fire is part of the learning it's time for, of course. You can choose to teach him how to properly build a safe camp fire, clearing all flammable items well out of area. You can teach him about drought and dry grass. You could also just teach him that dad is an asshole. Learning nothing more than "dad is mean", you'll raise a dumb ass who is also an asshole, just like dad.
Sure make clear to him the damage fire can do, but mainly to make clear what he SHOULD do - learn about fire under adult supervision only, move lighter fluid away before lighting a grill, etc. Teaching SHOULDS serves a man his whole life.
Heck , while he's interested you could probably even suggest that he read up on what fire actually is and the three elements essential to fire and then explain to you what he learned. That's useful, practical knowledge and gets him interested in chemistry and physics.
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