Teen who started Cocos Fire will stand trial

SAN DIEGO (CNS) – A March 10 trial date was set Wednesday for a teenage girl accused of sparking a San Marcos-area wildfire that blackened nearly 2,000 acres and destroyed 40 structures, most of them homes.

In August, the 13-year-old was found mentally competent to stand trial on four counts of arson.

She will be back in court Feb. 19 for a readiness conference. Her trial is scheduled to be held downtown.

The Cocos fire broke out May 14 and was one of more than a dozen brushfires that erupted in critically hot, dry and windy conditions. Officials set the cost of extinguishing the fires at nearly $28 million.