Man accused of starting destructive California wildfire by throwing firework out car window

OROVILLE, Calif. (AP) — A 26-year-old man has been accused of igniting a destructive California wildfire in early July by throwing a firework from a car window during hot, dry and windy weather. The Butte County District Attorney’s Office says Spencer Grant Anderson, of Oroville, was charged Monday after weeks of continuous surveillance by investigators. The Thompson fire scorched nearly 6 square miles, destroyed 13 homes and damaged others in the Oroville area of the northern Sacramento Valley. The district attorney’s office says Anderson was jailed on a no-bail hold after appearing in court to face arson charges. Anderson’s attorney told The New York Times that his client “is just being accused at this point.”