A fire that charred more than 38,000 acres and destroyed 21 homes in northern Los Angeles County last week was sparked by a boy playing with matches, sheriff’s officials said Tuesday. The disclosure about the Buckweed fire, initially blamed on downed power lines, came as firefighters continued to push forward in containing the region’s blazes and as health officials announced that strenuous outdoor exercise was no longer hazardous in most of Southern California. Authorities in all seven counties struck by the fires said air quality had improved significantly according to the Los Angeles Times.

L.A. County Sheriff’s Department arson investigators did not name the boy believed responsible for the Buckweed fire. Nor did they give his age or the community where he and his family live.

“We have identified a juvenile boy as the person who started the fire,” said Steve Whitmore, a department spokesman. “Arson investigators interviewed the young man, and he acknowledged he had been playing with matches and accidentally started a fire.”

The boy was released to the custody of his parents. The case has been turned over to the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office. The only other information Whitmore provided was that investigators concluded the fire was sparked by an individual the day after it began but that it took more time to link the blaze to the boy.

Read it here: Buckweed Fire Started by Boy