CALIFORNIA IN BRIEF : ORANGE : Youth Convicted in Anaheim Hills Blaze

A 17-year-old was convicted Friday of recklessly setting an Oct. 26 fire that gutted two homes, threatened 29 others and caused more than $1 million damage in Anaheim Hills. The Anaheim teen-ager testified that he was lighting a cigarette when he dropped a match, sparking the blaze, defense attorney Dennis M. McNerney said. “It was only an accident,” McNerney said. Superior Court Judge Anthony Rackauckas found the youth guilty of the felony charge after a closed, two-day trial in Orange County Juvenile Court. McNerney disputed the prosecution’s contention that his client set the fire as a prank to scare some friends. He said the hysteria over recent arson fires in Laguna Beach and Malibu and the barrage of media attention contributed to harsh treatment of his client. The prosecutor declined to comment. The youth will be sentenced Dec. 30 and could face several months in a juvenile facility, McNerney said. The judge denied McNerney’s request to allow the teen-ager to spend the holidays with his family.