Illinois teens won’t be charged in hillside blaze
Prosecutors declined Friday to file charges against two teenage boys from Illinois who caused a 150-acre wildfire that raced through the hills near the Hollywood sign in March.
Deputy Dist. Atty. Jean M. Daly cited insufficient evidence that the two boys, who were not identified because they are minors, “consciously disregarded the risk” of causing a wildfire.
The boys were hiking in the hills March 30 when one of them found a lighter and set twigs on fire, Daly said in a document released by the district attorney’s office. They quickly put it out and returned to the Oakwood Toluca Hills, a corporate housing complex. Both teens and an Oakwood security guard, who spoke with them and then examined the area, thought that the fire was extinguished, Daly said.
Authorities said two boys, 16 and 17, later walked into a police station and acknowledged causing the fire.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
