A man was taken in for questioning on suspicion of arson, and later arrested, on Thursday afternoon in the Woodland Hills near the Kenneth Fire, which had started earlier that day.
It was initially reported as an arrest made on the suspicion of arson, with Sean Dinse of the LAPD’s Topanga Division telling news station KTLA on Thursday night that the authorities believed someone had purposefully set the Kenneth Fire.
The LAPD revealed in a Friday morning press conference that their investigation hadn’t found enough evidence for an arson charge. Instead, the suspect has been arrested on a “felony probation violation.” Assistant police chief Dominic Choi said that the LAPD’s major crimes division had interviewed the suspect once it was learned they were a “possible arson suspect.”
“This investigation is ongoing, however, and I’d like to thank the community members who were involved in this and helping us bring this person to our attention,” Choi told reporters.
According to local news station KTLA, citizens in the area held down the suspect until the police arrived.
The Los Angeles Police Department’s official Public Information Officer account initially announced the detainment via social media. “At 4:32 p.m., a radio call was generated on the 21700 block of Ybarra Road for a possible arson suspect. A male was heard stating a suspect was ‘attempting to light a fire.’ The suspect is in custody and was transported to Topanga Station,” the post read.
Ybarra Road is located in the Woodland Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles, near the west San Fernando Valley, where the Kenneth Fire continues to blaze.
TIME Map; Getty Images
In a news conference on Thursday evening, Los Angeles Fire chief Kristin Crowley stated that the Kenneth Fire “shows we are absolutely not out of this extreme weather event.”
The blazes that are ravaging Los Angeles County have killed at least 10 people, according to a Jan. 9 update from the Los Angeles County’s Medical examiner, with officials warning that the actual toll won’t be clear until it’s safe for investigators to access damaged areas.
The Kenneth Fire grew rapidly to 1,000 acres within hours. As of 8.30 a.m. on Jan. 10, the blaze is at 1000 acres, with 35% contained. Evacuation warnings are currently in place for Vanowen south to Burbank Boulevard and County Lane road east to E. Valley Circle Boulevard, though mandatory evacuation orders have been lifted. But, things may change fast as the “challenging terrain and persistent winds complicate suppression activity,” according to Cal Fire. Citizens are advised to stay vigilant.
