San Ramon Boy May be Held Responsible for 3-acre Foster City Fire

Investigators say a 12-year-old San Ramon boy and his friend accidentally sparked a 3-acre grassfire in Foster City by playing around with WD-40 lubricant and a lighter in an open field.

Witnesses called the city's fire department minutes before 5 p.m. Tuesday to report the blaze, which had already blackened a few acres, said Foster City Police Capt. Matt Martell this morning.

The pair will be charged by the juvenile division of the San Mateo County District Attorney's Office with reckless burning, a lesser crime that arson, Martell said. And, he added, since the two are only 12 years old, their parents will likely be held responsible for property damage, which was minimal since the fire swept across an undeveloped grassy patch along a levee.

"It's not like someone poured gasoline on a house," Martell said. "They were playing around, being reckless and stupid, started a fire and it got away from them, so they took off."

Monetary loss will be very minor, authorities said.

"They got lucky it didn't get worse and burn up a home or hurt someone," said Martell.