London, Oct 31 : Last week’s fire in north Los Angeles County that consumed more than 38,000 acres of land and destroyed 21 homes, broke out while a boy was playing with matchsticks.

The authorities said that the boy, whose name and age were not revealed, admitted this when he was interviewed a day after the Buckweed Fire was sparked on October 21.

“He admitted to playing with matches and accidentally starting the fire,” the Sun quoted sheriff’s Sgt Diane Hecht, as saying in a statement.

It added that the boy was released to his parents, and the case would be presented to the district attorney’s office.

The 60-square-mile (155-square-kilometer) fire began in an area near Agua Dulce and quickly spread by fierce desert winds. It was among more than a dozen major wildfires that killed 14 people and blackened 809 square miles (2,095 square kilometers) from Los Angeles to the Mexican border.

Authorities arrested five people for arson during that period, but none have been linked to any of the major blazes, the paper reported. (ANI)