Prosecutors: Boy who accidentally started California fire won't be charged

Tuesday, November 13, 2007

Prosecutors: Boy who accidentally started California fire won't be charged

LOS ANGELES (Cal Fire News) — Los Angeles County officials said Tuesday that a boy who accidentally started one of the devastating wildfires that ravaged California last month after playing with matches will not be prosecuted.

The Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office said the 10-year-old had not intended to ignite the blaze, which scorched 38,000 acres (15,400 hectares), destroyed more than a dozen homes and caused 7.4 million dollars damage.

The boy's case will instead be referred to the Los Angeles Department of Children and Family Services to determine if any other intervention is necessary, officials said.

The blaze, known as the Buckweed fire, Which began on October 21 and was initially blamed on downed power lines ultimately consumed 38,356 acres.

The wildfires were record setting in Californian history, left eight people dead, destroyed over 2,000 homes and displaced over 640,000 people during the evacuations.

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****REMINDER**** Every fire has the ability to be catastrophic. The wildland fire management environment has profoundly changed. Growing numbers of communities, across the nation, are experiencing longer fire seasons; more frequent, bigger, and more severe, fires are a real threat. Be careful with all campfires and equipment.

"I am a firm believer in the people. If given the truth, they can be depended upon to meet any national crisis. The great point is to bring them the real facts, and beer." --Abraham Lincoln

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How fires get their names

Every year in California thousands of wildfires start throughout the state. In most cases, the dispatch center sending the initial resources to a wildland fire will designate a name for the fire, but the first on scene engine or fire official can also name the incident. Fires are usually named for the area in which they start – a geographical location, local landmark, street, lake, mountain, peak, etc. Quickly naming the fire provides responding fire resources with an additional locater, and allows fire officials to track and prioritize incidents by name. For example during the Southern California Fire Siege of 2003, the largest wildland fire in California history, the Cedar Fire in San Diego County, was named after the Cedar Creek Falls area where it started. The destructive Old Fire, which burned during the same time period in San Bernardino County, was named after the road along which it started - Old Waterman Canyon Road.

CAL FIRE is the largest fire department in California and the second largest fire department in the United States. CDF - CAL FIRE Firefighters answer the call more than 300,000 times a year. CAL FIRE Firefighters make up the fire department for 30 of our 58 counties in California and more than 100 local communities. We serve as the incident command during many of California’s most serious disasters. CAL FIRE Firefighters respond to many various types and forms of calls ranging from structural fires, to auto accidents, to earthquakes, to floods, to the spilling of hazardous materials, to every conceivable disaster; CAL FIRE answer's the calls. CAL FIRE is the largest fire department in California and the second largest fire department in the United States . CAL FIRE firefighters protect 33 million acres of State Responsibility Area (SRA). We have over 4,000 members within CAL FIRE and CAL FIRE is associated with the California Professional Firefighters (CPF) and the International Association of Firefighters (IAFF).

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Tuesday, November 13, 2007