A Wyoming fire chief allegedly asked that the “bad parts” be cut out of video evidence involving a wood-chip pile fire that caused over a million dollars in damages.

Casper Fire Department Chief Kenneth King emailed City Fire Inspector Devin Garvin in an email if it were possible to edit the evidence collected related to the fire that was set to be shared with state authorities.

“Could you cut out the bad parts, and make sure that no copies are made and only (the Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation) views?” the Chief asked.

The fire -which originated from a wood-chip pile- had spread from a landfill and caused a 16-square-mile wildfire last year, resulting in fourteen homes being destroyed and over $1.7 million in claims being filed in relation to the fire.

In hindsight, King said he sent the email as a joke to someone “he considers a friend” and he said it was in poor taste.

“There was no thinking, you know what I mean,” King said of the email. “If I said anything, it would be making it up. There was just not enough thought into that email.”

While firefighters responded quickly to the fire, most left within a few hours, leaving behind a two-man team while piles still burned. During the night, the fire grew out of control.

While the fire is expected to cost far more than already estimated, SFGate reports that the city of Casper’s liability is capped at only $500,000.