Los Angeles residents detained a homeless man who was suspected of igniting one of the wildfires burning through Southern California. The man, seen riding his bike around Woodland Hills on Thursday, January 7, was allegedly using what appeared to be a flamethrower to set fire to several Christmas trees and garbage cans. This occurred just as the Kenneth Fire started to spread.
Renata Grinshpun, a local resident, told KTLA that she heard a car stop and someone shout, “Neighbors, he’s trying to start a fire! Call 911!” She witnessed the suspect holding what seemed like a “propane tank or a flamethrower” as he tried to ignite debris on the street. In a video, a person can be heard shouting, “Put it down,” as the suspect attempted to flee. Grinshpun described how the community came together to subdue the man, with a few residents using zip ties and rope to make a citizens’ arrest.
Another witness who spoke to Fox 11 said the suspect seemed “very focused on moving forward” and described the weapon as looking like a blowtorch. The witness recalled the suspect saying, “I can’t stop. I can’t stop. I’m doing this.” The community members responded by telling him, “We can’t be doing that right now.”
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The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) confirmed that an arson investigation was initiated at the site of the Kenneth Fire, which broke out at the Victory Trailhead. As of January 10, the fire had spread to over 960 acres and remained at 0% containment.
Firefighters are stretched thin, battling multiple blazes across Los Angeles, with thousands of residents forced to evacuate their homes. The Kenneth Fire is just one of several major fires in the area, including the Eaton Fire north of Pasadena, the Palisades Fire west of Los Angeles, and the Sunset Fire in the Hollywood Hills. Governor Gavin Newsom responded to the crisis on social media, stating, “California has deployed 1,400+ firefighting personnel & hundreds of prepositioned assets to combat these unprecedented fires in L.A.” He added that emergency officials and first responders were working tirelessly to protect lives.
The LAPD confirmed that the homeless suspect was arrested and taken into custody at the Topanga station.
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