clipped from www.guardian.co.uk

People watch a fire close to Highway 5 near Oceanside, California.

A boy playing with matches caused one of the fires that swept through California last week, according to officials.

The boy accidentally lit a fire near the city of Agua Dulce, north-east of Los Angeles. The blaze became known as the Buckweed fire, burning 38,000 acres and destroying 21 homes.

The boy, whose name and age have not been released, was handed over to his parents after being questioned by LA County sheriffs. The case will be handed over to the district attorney's office. It was unclear whether the boy had been arrested.

"He admitted to playing with matches and accidentally starting the fire," sheriff's department sergeant Diane Hecht said in a statement.

A total of half a million acres were burned in the fires, with 1600 homes levelled and 14 deaths attributed to the fires. Eighteen of the fires are now fully contained, with the remainder at 70% containment by this morning.