A prosecutor will be asked to consider the case of a boy accused of starting a massive wildfire by playing with matches.

Fuelled by ferocious desert winds, the fire quickly spread, burning more than 38,000 acres and destroying 21 homes.

The boy, whose name and age were not released, admitted to sparking the fire on October 21, Los Angeles County sheriff's Sgt Diane Hecht said on Tuesday. “He admitted to playing with matches and accidentally starting the fire,” she said.

The boy was released to his parents, and the case will be presented to the district attorney’s office. It was among 15 or so major wildfires that killed 14 people, destroyed some 2,100 homes and blackened 809 square miles from Los Angeles to the Mexican border last week.