Rick Warren, founder of Saddleback Church, is asking for prayers after a brushfire consumed two acres of the church's main campus in Lake Forest, California.

The fire, which began near the church's parking lot around 1 pm local time on Sunday 6th October, has been contained, and authorities have taken a suspect into custody, according to The Christian Post.

Warren, who stepped down from his pastoral role in 2022, reached out to his followers on social media for support.

He wrote on X: "Please pray: Two acres of Saddleback Church have already been consumed by wildfire as of this moment. It's our main campus (out of 20) in Lake Forest. So far, no buildings have been in danger."

The Orange County Fire Authority and local sheriff's deputies managed to control the blaze within about 45 minutes. "A two-acre fire near Saddleback Church was quickly contained by the OC Fire Authority on Sunday," the city of Lake Forest reported on X, confirming that the fire was under control by 1:35 pm. 

Preliminary investigations indicated that a teenager riding an e-bike may have unintentionally sparked the fire.

Witnesses noted that the teen attempted to extinguish the flames using a fire extinguisher before emergency services arrived.

The exact cause of the fire is still under investigation, with authorities assessing whether the teenager's actions contributed to the incident.

In light of the dry weather conditions, fire crews remained vigilant to prevent any rekindling.

The identity and motives of the suspect have not been disclosed as authorities continue their inquiries.