Image showing fire. For representational purposes.
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A 13-year-old boy was arrested this week, accused of setting off illegal fireworks that sparked a wildfire in Laguna Beach, California, that burned nearly 5 acres and led to evacuations and power outages, authorities said.
The blaze, called the Rancho fire, started just after 2 pm on Monday, as flames burned along a hillside, the Laguna Beach Police Department said in a statement. As the fire spread to 4.6 acres, an evacuation order was issued for homes on four streets, and community centers were opened as shelters for displaced residents, officials said.
By 5 pm on Monday, the mayor had told residents in a video posted on Facebook that officials already suspected that the fire had been started by fireworks.
Police said Tuesday that witnesses had reported seeing a minor who was “possibly involved in setting off fireworks.” Two minors were detained for questioning but were released after they were found to have been witnesses, police said.
Investigators later obtained video evidence that they said showed another minor “lighting a firework and fleeing the scene.” They identified the suspect as a 13-year-old boy and obtained a warrant for his arrest, police said.
The teenager was arrested on suspicion of felony reckless burning of forest land, police said. Because of “the absence of any injuries or immediate threat to structures,” he was processed at police headquarters before being released to his parents. The case will be submitted to the Orange County district attorney’s office for review and the possible filing of criminal charges, police said.
A spokesperson for the district attorney’s office said California welfare law prevented her from discussing the case.
Niko King, the Laguna Beach fire chief, said that around 200 firefighters, two planes, five helicopters and drones were deployed to battle the blaze, as officials used infrared scans to monitor its progress and containment efforts.
The evacuation order was lifted just after 7:30 pm on Tuesday, city officials said. The fire was fully contained by 8 am on Wednesday, and the roads that had been closed reopened to traffic.