Santa Barbara, CA Fire Caused By Carelessness

November 19, 2008 6:40 a.m. EST

Los Angeles, CA (AHN) - Last weekend's "Tea Fire" in Santa Barbara, California, which destroyed 210 homes - including mansions owned by Hollywood celebrities - and injured over two dozen people, was caused by a bonfire a group of young students thought they had extinguished.

Santa Barbara County Sheriff Bill Brown said an anonymous tipster told authorities that a group of 10 college students built a bonfire at a property locally known as the "tea garden" next to an abandoned tea house in the hills of Montecito.

Brown did not identify what college the students attend and he did not say if criminal charges were being prepared. The county district attorney is reviewing the case.

The sheriff said that so far it appeared the fire was the result of carelessness instead of criminal intent. He added that the students had said they thought the fire was extinguished, although they hadn't given many details about the steps they took to make sure it was.

According to the tip, the group left the bonfire still smoldering in the middle of the night and its embers sparked the wildfire hours later.

The Santa Barbara fire was the first of the three wildfires to cause damage in Southern California last week. The three fires have destroyed over 1,000 homes and burned a combined area of over 65 square miles.

Some residents fleeing the burning inferno likened the scene to "Armageddon," because of the ferociousness of the heat.