Castanet

A directed-energy weapon (DEW) is a ranged weapon system that inflicts damage at a target by emission of highly focused energy.
Potential applications of this technology include anti-personnel weapon systems, missile defense system, and the disabling of lightly armored vehicles or mounted optical devices.[1][2]
The Pentagon, DARPA, the Air Force Research Laboratory, United States Army Armament Research, Development and Engineering Center and the Naval Research Laboratory are researching technologies like directed-energy weapons and railguns to counter maturing threats posed by fast missiles such as ballistic missiles, hypersonic cruise missiles, and hypersonic glide vehicles. These systems of missile defense are expected to come online in the mid to late-2020s.[3]
Russia,[4][5][6][7][8][9] China[10][11][12][13] and India[14] are also developing directed-energy weapons.

Despite the arson arrest, Cal Fire said Tuesday afternoon it continues to investigate the cause of each of the wildfires in Northern California.