Los Angeles has rediscovered law and order in these past few days. L.A. cops and sheriff's deputies have arrested at least 20 looters and on Thursday night they arrested a man who was seen setting the nearly 900 acre Kenneth Fire in Woodland Hills/Calabasas.
KTLA reports that neighbors on the Citizen app reported that the man, who looked possibly Middle Eastern, was "tackled and held" by neighbors until police got there and placed him under arrest (although he hasn't been charged).
Residents who reportedly spotted the suspect held him down until officers arrived. Photos of the arrest shared on the Citizen app show officers surrounding a home where a male suspect was apprehended.
Authorities have not confirmed whether the man was responsible or had any connection with the current wildfires. His identity was not released.
The Kenneth Fire was first reported around 2:30 p.m. in an area of dry brush in the Upper Las Virgenes Canyon Open Space just north of the 101 Freeway. By 6 p.m., the fire grew to 960 acres with zero containment.
Here's a look at the suspect.
Fox LA reporter Elex Michaelson reported that the man is homeless and in his 30s.
#BREAKING #KennethFire in West Hills/Calabasas is now being investigated as arson, per @FOXLA.
— Elex Michaelson (@Elex_Michaelson) January 10, 2025
A suspect, a homeless man in his 30’s, is in custody. He was reportedly “detained by citizens.”
Victory Trailhead is a crime scene.
Good news: Firefighters appear to have gained… pic.twitter.com/yzhKsIV223
As a person who's been with many homeless people in California, I'll make the point that homeless people don't wear just one layer of clothes and certainly not single layer t-shirts.
This is a problem with incidents like the devastating fires. Copycats come along to make things worse.
🚨 #BREAKING UPDATE: The arsonist who started the Kenneth Fire in Los Angeles, which burned over 800 acres, was tackled and detained by citizens, per police
— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) January 10, 2025
THAT’s the America I know and love 🇺🇸 https://t.co/ItuGjFcfp0 pic.twitter.com/fHlOTUGnx5
The death toll in the Los Angeles wildfires is at ten, according to reports late Thursday. In a news conference on Thursday, the L.A. County Sheriff Robert Luna feared the death toll would go much higher. He said the post-apocalyptic landscape following the fires looked as if "a bomb dropped" on the area.
In addition to going after looters, Luna warned that people who did not evacuate when ordered would be charged with misdemeanors.
Ironically, not long after he made that pronouncement, L.A. officials sent out a bogus evacuation order during afternoon traffic in Los Angeles causing a mass traffic jam, according to KFI Radio. The order was later characterized as a mistake.
There are currently five wildfires burning in Los Angeles. These fires have destroyed more than 10,000 homes and burned more than 36,000 acres.
We'll be updating this story as more details emerge.
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