Man arrested in connection with starting LA fire that is now burning over 960 acres
The wildfire which has burned across California and incinerated parts of Los Angeles is actually several different fires, and a man has been arrested in connection with one of them.
The largest fires are the Palisades Fire and the Eaton Fire, while there are also three other fires called Kenneth, Hurst and Lidia.
At least 10 people have now died due to the various wildfires, the county coroner's office says, while thousands of people have been forced to evacuate their homes and many of those homes have now burned down.
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The Kenneth Fire is the newest of the blazes and according to The Independent, the LAPD believe it may have been started intentionally, and a man was arrested yesterday (9 January).
FOX reports that a suspect was detained as part of the investigation into the fires, with local residents claiming that a man on a bike carrying a large blowtorch had been trying to set bins and old Christmas trees on fire.
According to the report a group of local residents grabbed the man and held him until police arrived to make an arrest.
Officials have said that at least 10,000 buildings have been burned down by the wildfires this week, though firefighters have made some progress in containing some of the blazes which are burning in and around LA.
However, the strong winds which have quickly spread the flames are still a danger, with LA Mayor Karen Bass saying: "We are expecting this fire to rapidly spread due to high winds."
The Kenneth Fire appears to have started in the San Fernando Valley near the West Hills neighbourhood and close to Ventura County to the north west of LA, and burned less than two miles away from a school where people were sheltering from the Palisades Fire.
The blaze is located to the north of the Palisades Fire which has torn through several neighbourhoods, including some of the locations which house a number of celebrities.
With so many people forced to evacuate from their homes much has had to be left behind.
As strong winds rapidly spread the fire around LA some roads became gridlocked with cars full of people trying to follow their evacuation orders, until many motorists had to abandon their vehicles and continue their escape on foot.
Emergency services had to deploy bulldozers to clear the roads so they could get through, while off-duty firefighters were asked to step in and help tackle the flames.
The LADbible group has contacted the LAPD for comment.
Joe Harker