According to the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), a new blaze has erupted in the surrounding areas of the city.
And they say it was started on purpose.
However, as of Thursday evening, they have identified and arrested a suspect that could be connected to the other area fires consuming the city.
Local Los Angeles radio station KFIAM640 posted a photo of an alleged arson suspect that also showed what appears to be a blow torch on top of the police car next to him.
BREAKING: @KFIAM640 @DebraMark1 says this man was arrested for apparently starting fires in Woodland Hills area. We are awaiting confirmation. Note the possible torch on hood of car. LISTEN LIVE we are talking w her now. pic.twitter.com/Nsahmq2ZZJ
— Tim Conway Jr Show (@ConwayShow) January 10, 2025
An LAPD spokesperson said last night that the person in the photo was arrested in connection with a new blaze that has erupted in the city, and is being treated as a suspected arson case.
The Kenneth Fire in West Hills quickly grew in just a couple of hours to 1,000 acres and is 0% contained as fire officials work to put out several other fires in the city.
LAPD Senior Lead Officer Charles Dinsel told reporters: “What we know right now is that the incident occurred, started here [Victory Trailhead], and about 20-30 minutes later, a suspect was detained over Woodland Hills area by citizens.”
When asked if someone “purposely set” the fire, he responded: “At this time, that’s what we believe, yes.”
The official said that they did not have a motive yet, but that the area was being treated as a crime scene.
The shocking development comes as thousands of firefighters have been deployed to battle several other fires in Los Angeles over the last couple of days.
Most notably, the Palisades Fire has destroyed more than 19,000 acres while the Eaton Fire, in Altadena, has destroyed more than 13,000 acres.
Nearly 200,000 people have been ordered to evacuate their homes because the fires spread quickly due to the notorious Santa Ana winds in the area.
The Los Angeles-area wildfires are on track to be by far the most expensive wildfire in U.S. history, according to new estimates.
Estimates from both The Wall Street Journal and JPMorgan Chase say the economic damages from the fire could reach $50 billion, and counting.
The New York Times also reported that the two largest fires — the Eaton and Palisades fires — have destroyed as many as 10,000 structures.
The 2018 Camp Fire in Northern California’s Butte County was previously considered to be the most destructive fire in U.S. history, causing $12.5 billion in insured losses.
AccuWeather’s Global Weather Center put the total estimated damage between $52 billion and $57 billion.
The figures account for “both direct and indirect impacts of the storm and includes both insured and uninsured losses,” according to a report from The Hill.
Tens of thousands of acres of land have already been destroyed among several fires that have broken out throughout the city as new fires continued to flare up as recently as Thursday evening.
The report noted that hurricanes cause the largest insured losses, with Hurricane Katrina causing the most damage in history at more than a $100 billion in 2005.
Hurricane Ian in 2022 was the second most destructive storm in history in terms of insured losses with more than $55 billion lost.