Wildfire Threatens 30 Homes; Teen Held
An El Dorado County wildfire that destroyed a house grew by several hundred acres Sunday and threatened at least 30 other homes, forcing nearby residents to evacuate.
A 15-year-old boy remained in El Dorado County’s juvenile hall in connection with the 700-acre wildfire.
A second boy, also 15, was released to his family Saturday after being questioned by authorities, said Lt. Kevin House of the El Dorado County Sheriff’s Department.
At least one of the boys was playing with matches when the fire ignited around 2:30 p.m. Saturday amid heavily forested canyons between El Dorado Hills and Rescue, House said. He declined to release the boys’ names. The boy in custody had not been charged with any crime Sunday morning.
The Hickok Fire was 30% contained by Sunday at 11 a.m., with 570 firefighters working to protect homes, said Ken Vogele, a spokesman for the California Department of Forestry.
The fire crackled through trees about 40 miles east of Sacramento.
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