A man has been arrested on suspicion of starting a new wildfire that erupted in Los Angeles on Thursday afternoon.
Residents in the West Hills region of the city detained a man who was later arrested by police in connection with the Kenneth Fire, which grew rapidly overnight.
Charles Dinsel, the senior lead officer, confirmed that a man was caught trying to start a fire. According to Fox News, he is a homeless man in his 30s.
The cause and reason behind the fire remains unclear, but officials said the Kenneth fire was “being investigated as a crime”.
By 11pm on Thursday, the fire had burned through more than 1,000 acres and had reached 35 per cent containment. Officials said the “forward progress” of the blaze had been stopped with firefighters battling it overnight.
A Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) spokesman said: “About 20 to 30 minutes later a suspect was detained over in Woodland Hills area by citizens. It is being investigated as a crime,” adding that the man was arrested five miles from where the fire is believed to have started.
Detectives are also investigating whether the suspect has any links with other fires in the area.
Firefighters try to contain Kenneth Fire in the West Hills, Los Angeles – Ethan Swope/AP
The death toll from the fires as risen to 10 people and it is expected to grow.
The County of Los Angeles Medical Examiner said the remains of these people are still being identified.
The LAPD said at least 20 people had been arrested on suspicion of looting with some residents forced to hire private security guards to stop their homes from being turned inside out.
Kathryn Barger, the LA county supervisor, said a curfew would be put in place in some areas around the Pacific Palisades and Eaton fires.
“I promise you, you will be held accountable,” she said. “Shame on those who are preying on our residents during this time of crisis.”
Thousands of firefighters continue to battle five massive wildfires that are ravaging almost 30,000 acres around Los Angeles.
Other fires in the region include the Palisades Fire to the west of Los Angeles, the Eaton Fire to the north of Pasadena and the Sunset Fire that is ravaging the Hollywood Hills.
The Los Angeles Fire Department had issued mandatory evacuation orders for Hidden Hills residents who are close to the Kenneth Fire but officials downgraded that to warnings.
Fire crews battled to extinguish the Kenneth Fire on Thursday – Ethan Swope/AP
Joe Biden said he was “surging every federal resource possible” to tackle the fires after announcing he would cancel his trip to Italy to meet Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky – his last foreign trip as president.
The outgoing US president said the federal government would cover “100 per cent of the cost of the measures to protect the lives and property in southern California for six months”.
Donald Trump has blamed the rapid spread of the blaze on Democrats, repeatedly accusing California’s governor Gavin Newsom of prioritising green policies over preparations for wildfires.
The Eaton fire, which started on Tuesday, grew to more than 13,000 acres on Thursday, burning up to 5,000 vehicles including cars and buildings, none of which has been contained.
The Palisades fire, the first blaze to begin on Tuesday morning in the west LA celebrity enclave, has burnt more than 19,000 acres so far.
Billy Crystal, Jamie Lee Curtis, Anthony Hopkins, John Goodman and Paris Hilton have emerged as the latest Hollywood stars whose homes have been impacted by the catastrophe.
Mel Gibson, the Oscar-winning actor and director, revealed his home was lost in the wildfires while he was recording a podcast with Joe Rogan in Texas.
The 69-year-old Passion of Christ director said the loss was “emotional” and “devastating”, but said his family were “happy and healthy and out of harm’s way”.
Gibson said he returned from The Joe Rogan Experience in Austin, Texas, to find his Malibu home was “completely toasted”.
“I was doing the Rogan podcast, I was kind of ill at ease while we were talking because I knew my neighbourhood was on fire, so I thought ‘I wonder if my place is still there’, but when I got home, sure enough, it wasn’t there,” he said.
Credit: The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
Actress Jamie Lee Curtis, who was reduced to tears as she spoke about the fires on the Jimmy Fallon show on Thursday evening.
“As you know, where I live is on fire right now. Literally, the entire city of the Pacific Palisades is burning,” she said.
The 66-year-old later announced that her family would donate $1 million to the fire relief efforts in Los Angeles.
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