A teenager who authorities say confessed to accidentally starting the Grant Fire in California with a firework will be charged, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire) said yesterday. On July 9, the 17-year-old told police at the Manteca Police Department that he and a friend had pulled over along Interstate 580 the day before because of car trouble. He threw a "safe and sane" firework into the car's engine compartment, causing some nearby grass to catch fire, said Sgt. Ray Kelly with the Alameda County Sheriff's Office. They tried to stomp out the fire but were unable to. The pair left the area and called 911 to report a fire but did not say they had caused it, Kelly said. Using fireworks, with or without a "safe and sane" label, is illegal in the unincorporated area of Alameda County where the teens were, according to a Cal Fire press release. Kelly said the teen is "very cooperative and very remorseful."
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