California faces a seemingly tough decision. The state officials consider charging a 13 year old boy who accidentally started a fire that led to the destroying of about 63 buildings.

The boy admitted to starting the wild fire as he was playing with matches last week. The blaze eventually destroyed 15,000 hectares (38,000 acres) near Santa Clarita, 30 miles north of central Los Angeles. The investigators first theory was that the fallen power lines had started the fire, but a day after the fire started the boy "admitted that he had been playing with matches," the Los Angeles county sheriff's department spokesman said.

After he confessed that he started the wild fire, the boy, whose identity the investigators have chosen not to release, was sent home. Meanwhile, the district attorney's office is considering whether to press charges.

The fire he started is also known as the Buckweed fire and irrupted on 21 October causing the death of three civilians and the injuring of a firefighter. The costs of the damage were estimated somewhere around $7.4m (£3.6m).

The state officials announced they will offer a substantial reward to anyone offering information that might lead to the arrest and conviction of those responsible.

The wild fires that burned last week throughout California ruined at least 1,800 homes and other buildings and killed at least 14 people.

The San Diego County alone suffered destruction that is worth about $1bn (£487m), with nearly 800 sq miles (2,072 sq km) of land scorched.

Most of the wild fires were put out and those left - a handful - are under control at the moment.