A man was arrested Thursday afternoon on suspicion of arson in Woodland Hills, near the Kenneth Fire, which started earlier in the afternoon.
On arson suspect. A man was heard saying a suspect was “trying to start a fire.” The suspect is in custody and was transported to the Topanga station.
Ybarra Road is located in the Woodland Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles, near the western San Fernando Valley, where the Kenneth Fire continues to burn.
According to local news channel KTLA, citizens in the area held the suspect until police arrived.
“What we know right now is that the incident happened here and about 20 to 30 minutes later a suspect was arrested by citizens,” Sean Dinse of the Topanga Division was quoted as saying. from the LAPD to KTLA.
In an update social media post, the LAPD PIO said they could not confirm the arsonist was connected to the Kenneth Fire.
The LAPD had no further updates to share when contacted by TIME.
At a news conference Thursday evening, Los Angeles Fire Chief Kristin Crowley said the Kenneth fire “shows that we are absolutely not out of this extreme weather event.”
The fires ravaging Los Angeles County have killed at least 10 people, according to a Jan. 9 update from the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner, with officials warning that the true toll will not be clear until investigators can not safely access the damage. areas.
The Kenneth Fire quickly grew to 1,000 acres in a matter of hours. As of 6 a.m. on Jan. 10, the fire was 960 acres, 35 percent of which was contained. Evacuation warnings are currently in place for Vanowen south to Burbank Boulevard and County Lane east to E. Valley Circle Boulevard, although mandatory evacuation orders have been lifted.
But things could change quickly as “difficult terrain and persistent winds complicate suppression activities,” according to Cal Fire. Citizens are advised to remain vigilant.
