NEWSHomeless Man Busted on Suspicion of Starting One of the Ravaging L.A. Wildfires With a 'Flamethrower'
A homeless man was arrested in connection to the the Kenneth wildfire.
Los Angeles residents detained a homeless man who was reportedly using what looked like a "flamethrower" on suspicion of starting one of the wildfires burning down Southern California.
According to locals, the unidentified suspect was seen riding his bike around Woodland Hills on Thursday, January 7, setting fire to several old Christmas trees and garbage cans at the same time as the Kenneth Fire began to spread.
A male arson suspect was arrested in Woodland Hills.
Renata Grinshpun told KTLA she was in her backyard when she heard a car stop and a man yell, "Neighbors, he’s trying to start a fire! Call 911!’"
She said she saw others filming as the suspect held a large "propane tank or a flamethrower" as he attempted to torch debris in the street.
In one video, one person is heard yelling, "Put it down," as neighbors cornered the man who tried to get away.
"We really banded together as a group," Grinshpun told the local outlet. "A few gentlemen surrounded him and got him on his knees. They got some zip ties, a rope and we were able to do a citizens’ arrest."
Thousands of acres of Los Angeles has been burnt.
Another witness told Fox 11 about how the suspect was “very focused on moving forward” and described the weapon as closely resembling a blowtorch.
“He was like, ‘I can’t stop. I can’t stop. I’m not putting this down. I’m doing this,'” the local described. “And we’re like, ‘We can’t be doing that right now.'”
The LAPD confirmed an arson investigation was launched at Victory Trailhead, where the devastating Kenneth Fire broke out.
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Tens of thousands were ordered to evacuate their homes.
Firefighters are stretched thin battling several fires across Los Angeles as thousands were forced to abandon their homes.
The Kenneth Fire has spread to over 960 acres and continues to rip through Ventura County with 0 percent containment as of Friday morning, January 10.
When LAPD Senior Lead Officer Sean Dinse was asked whether the Kenneth Fire was a case of arson, he answered: "At this time, that’s what we believe. It’s being investigated as a crime."
LAPD confirmed that the homeless subject was arrested and taken to police custody at the department's Topanga station.
Los Angeles firefighters are stretched thin.
Over 130,000 Californians have been under evacuation orders from the multiple major fires, including the Eaton Fire north of Pasadena, the Palisades Fire west of Los Angeles and the Sunset Fire in the Hollywood Hills.
California Governor Gavin Newsom took to X shortly after the wildfires broke out, writing: "California has deployed 1400+ firefighting personnel & hundreds of prepositioned assets to combat these unprecedented fires in L.A. Emergency officials, firefighters, and first responders are all hands on deck through the night to do everything possible to protect lives."
