A SUSPECTED arsonist has been arrested over fears he started a devastating fire ripping through parts of Los Angeles.
The ferocious Kenneth Fire began ripping through LA’s West Hills on Thursday afternoon.
APFire crews battle the Kenneth Fire in the West Hills section of Los Angeles[/caption]
APWater is dropped by helicopter on the Kenneth Fire in the West Hills[/caption]
APFire crews walk as they battle the blaze, which started on Thursday[/caption]
Authorities are treating the latest blaze as arson and treating the area as a crime scene, NewsNation reports.
One man – understood to be in his 30s – has been taken into custody.
He was detained by residents in the area, police say.
Kenneth Fire has already torn through more than 800 acres and continues to rip through Ventura County.
Dramatic pictures show helicopters dropping water on the raging inferno in a desperate bid to put out flames.
It started in the San Fernando Valley just two miles from a school serving as a shelter for fire evacuees shortly after 2.30pm.
LAPD Senior Lead Officer Sean Dinse told NewsNation: “About 20 minutes, 30 minutes later a suspect was detained over in the Woodland Hills area by citizens.”
He said it was not clear how and why the fire was started – but it is “being investigated as a crime”.
By the evening, the blaze had moved into neighboring Ventura County before rapidly spreading overnight to more than 800 acres.
About 400 firefighters remained on the scene overnight to guard against the fire flaring up.
The LA Fire Department initially issued mandatory evacuation orders for the area known as Hidden Hills, but has since downgraded that to warnings.
It is one of six fires wreaking havoc in LA – with ten people confirmed dead, though the toll is feared to be much higher.
The remains of three victims are still being identified, the County of Los Angeles Medical Examiner said.
More than 180,000 residents have been forced to flee their homes – with a further 200,000 warned they may need to quickly evacuate.
Kenneth Fire ignited on Thursday afternoon after five separate fires sparked on Tuesday morning – causing mass destruction.
Among them are two major fires – Palisades and Eaton, which have torn through 53 square miles.
‘War zone’ LA feels ‘broken’ as fires still ravage the city – but we will rebuild
EVERY year Los Angeles braces itself for wildfires. It is not uncommon to see flames torching the hills and even houses burning to the ground.
But many residents have never witnessed anything as devastating as this week. And it’s nowhere near over.
I spent time near Pacific Palisades, where thick smoke filled the air, and saw desperate families fleeing the city while others begged police to give them access to their properties as roads were blocked off.
“Everything is gone” was heard many times, as thousands of people were left homeless and with few possessions.
I was lucky to only have the power go out in my home, but I’ll never forget what I witnessed traveling throughout the city.
It was like a war zone.
During a visit to a shelter, I spoke with a resident who has lived in his home for almost 30 years and is battling cancer. He stayed long after he was told to pack up and go.
It was only when flames began leaping around his building that he finally gathered his belongings and ran out.
I reported from Altadena, where buildings were still engulfed in flames, and few fire trucks were in sight as emergency services were overwhelmed.
Cars and school buses were completely torched, and heartbroken families stood around in shock, not being able to process what had happened.
As the sun went down, I drove back home towards the city center, which I felt was safe, until I saw orange flames leaping behind buildings just minutes from my house.
I felt sick. I’ve never known wildfires so close to Hollywood, and suddenly, phones were blaring with emergency notifications to evacuate the area.
Traffic lights and street lamps were out, and areas filled with fallen trees from the strong winds became gridlocked.
I feel extremely lucky I live minutes outside of the evacuation zone, but friends panicked and fled their homes.
Although many worldwide will merely shrug when they hear wealthy people have lost their homes, the reality is very different.
The city as a whole feels broken, everyone from single mothers to elderly people have been through hell.
And people are angry.
Dozens have spoken of their insurance policies being canceled just months before the fires, while others are reeling over alleged corruption and mismanagement.
They may be angry. But they are also hopeful. The people of Los Angeles are made of strong stuff.
We will get through this. And we will rebuild.
Arson investigators are also probing the start of the horror Palisades fire, it is understood.
Fire responders and cadaver dogs continue to comb through charred debris in a desperate search for victims after the most devastating blaze in LA’s history.
Neighborhoods have been reduced to ash, with celebrities including John Goodman and Leighton Meester watching their pads burn down.
The devastating fires are set to have a costly impact on the city and its residents – with private forecaster Accuweather estimating the total damage and economic loss up to $150 billion.
Joe Biden announced on Thursday that the federal government will cover 100 per cent of the cost of the fires.
ReutersThe LA skyline is shrouded in smoke from an overnight blaze in the Hollywood Hills[/caption]
AFPA spiral staircase stands amidst the smoldering skeleton of a house destroyed by the Palisades fire[/caption]
The outgoing president said the costs will include first responders’ salaries and shelters that are housing displaced residents.
All of the major fires that have broken out this week are located in a roughly 40km band north of downtown LA.
Of the 10 deaths so far, Los Angeles Fire Chief Kristin Crowley confirmed two were in the Palisades Fire and county officials said the Eaton Fire had killed five.
The remains of three victims are still being identified, the County of Los Angeles Medical Examiner said.
Two of the dead were Anthony Mitchell, a 67-year-old amputee, and his son, Justin, who had cerebral palsy.
They were waiting for an ambulance to come and did not make it to safety when the flames roared through, Mitchell’s daughter, Hajime White, told The Washington Post.
Shari Shaw told KTLA that she tried to get her 66-year-old brother, Victor Shaw, to evacuate Tuesday night but he wanted to stay and fight the fire.
Crews found his body with a garden hose in his hand.
On Thursday, recovery crews pulled a body from the rubble of what was a beachfront residence in Malibu.
AFPAaron Lubeley (2nd R) hugs a family member and cries while viewing the burned remains of his home during the Eaton fire[/caption]
Celebrities lose homes to wildfires
The wildfires haven’t spared the homes of the rich and famous with Hollywood A-listers tragically seeing their houses turned to smouldering rubble.
Those who have had their homes burned down include:
John Goodman
Anthony Hopkins
Paris Hilton
Leighton Meester and Adam Brody
Billy Crystal
Miles Teller
Eugene Levy
Anna Faris
Spencer Pratt and Heidi Montag
James Woods
Hunter Biden
Other celebrities have been forced to flee their homes after evacuation orders were issued around the Palisades fire and the Sunset fire.
They include:
Mark Hamill
Mandy Moore
Tom Hanks
Reese Witherspoon
Ben Affleck
Published: [#item_custom_pubDate]
