Five men aged 18 to 27 have been arrested in connection with the Thanksgiving weekend fire that burned 53 homes in Malibu. Authorities said the fire started as an illegal late-night campfire that got away. The suspects were traced using candy wrappers, fake fireplace logs and alcohol containers, said sheriff's spokesman Steve Whitmore.

"[Investigators] checked store receipts at a Ralphs market in Malibu and found one revealed a possible purchase of the items in question," Whitmore said. "With probable cause, they then got a search warrant allowing investigators to retrieve information from the debit card which authorities believe was used to purchase the items."

"That information led them to a witness," he said.

Sheriff's officials also appealed to the public, asking anyone with information on the fire to step forward. That led to other witnesses. Over the next two weeks, two additional search warrants were issued, and investigators conducted scores of interviews at locations as far away as Shasta County, near the Oregon border.

The suspects have been charged with recklessly causing a fire resulting in great bodily injury and recklessly causing a fire to an inhabited structure.