Police have detained a suspect allegedly responsible for starting one of the fires raging in Los Angeles.
The suspect is a homeless man in his 30s, according to Fox LA’s Elex Michaelson.
The suspect was initially detained “by citizens” in the Woodland Hills neighborhood not long after the Kenneth fire started on Thursday, Los Angeles Police Department officer Charles Dinsel told NewsNation’s Brian Entin.
Newsweek has contacted the LAPD for further comment via email.
The Kenneth fire started in the San Fernando Valley on Thursday afternoon and quickly burned through more than 1,000 acres.
Firefighters are also continuing to battle multiple other large wildfires in the Los Angeles area fueled by dry conditions and powerful Santa Ana winds.
The fires have burned at least 10,000 homes, buildings and other structures, killed at least 10 people and forced tens of thousands to evacuate their homes.
The LAPD has launched an arson investigation at Victory Trailhead, where the Kenneth fire began, according to Entin.
“What we know right now is that the incident occurred, started here and about 20 minutes, 30 minutes later, a suspect was detained over in Woodland Hills area by citizens,” Dinsel said.
Asked if the Kenneth fire was intentionally set, Dinsel said: “At this time, that’s what we believe.”
He said how and why the fire started was not yet clear, but he confirmed that the area has been designated a crime scene.
