A group of Los Angeles residents confronted and arrested a man believed to have started one of Southern California's wildfires, a video show revealed.
Los Angeles police take a man into custody after he was grabbed by a group of good Samaritans who allegedly carried a torch near the Kenneth Fire, according to video from FOX 11 Los Angeles.
The video shows a man who appears to have a torch head and a yellow fuel tank. At least five residents surrounded him and slammed him to the ground.
Police said it was too early to confirm he was involved in the fire.
Los Angeles area residents need phone numbers and how to get help.
A still image from home security video shows a Los Angeles man holding a torch head and fuel tank as residents tackle him and call police as wildfires rage across Southern California. Police took the man into custody, but said they could not confirm any connection to the fire. (FOX11 Los Angeles)
“At 4:32 p.m. today, we received a radio call of an arson suspect in the 21700 block of Ybarra Road. A man could be heard saying the suspect was 'trying to start a fire,'” the City of Los Angeles said. a police spokesperson told Fox News. . “The suspect was taken into custody and transported to the Topanga station. We continue to investigate, but at this time we cannot confirm that this suspect is connected to the fire.”
Los Angeles fence fire raises fears of looting, pushes private security forces to brink
The arrests come as Los Angeles police officials told Fox News Digital that it is not uncommon for people to intentionally start wildfires.
“In wind conditions like this, a sick serial arsonist emerges,” the source said. However, as of Friday, no connection between arson and the fire had been confirmed.
Palisades Fire: Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt lose their home. Celebrities flee from high-end residential area
Flames from the Palisades Fire burn through buildings on Sunset Boulevard during a powerful rainstorm in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, on January 8, 2025. Fueled by strong Santa Ana winds, the Palisades Fire has grown to more than 15,000 acres and 30,000 people have been ordered to evacuate, while a second large fire continues to burn near Eaton Canyon in Altadena. (Apu Gomez/Getty Images)
The Palisades fire has particularly affected Hollywood stars and their neighbors, who are prime targets for looters looking to steal from homes where owners have evacuated.
Authorities have arrested at least 20 people across the county on looting charges as residents struggle to hire private security companies to protect their homes, while authorities put a damper on arson theories spread by some celebrities. I am doing it.
Herman Weisberg, managing director of the private security and investigation firm SAGE Intelligence, told Fox News Digital on Thursday that all employees in Los Angeles are being wiretapped and are being monitored from other parts of the country as hotels fill with evacuees. He said he was having a hard time coming to support them. Residents and rental cars are sold out across the region.
“We're already pretty committed to all the assets we have in California on various missions, and we're trying to mobilize more from the townspeople, which has its own problems,” he said. “We are all former law enforcement, but not all of us have California licenses.”
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Firefighters respond to destroyed homes as helicopters spray water as the Palisades Fire spreads in Pacific Palisades, California, January 7, 2025. (David Swanson/AFP via Getty Images)
Craig Paul, who runs ASC Private Security, said he spent all day Thursday trying to get more teams cleared to enter the restricted area.
“We have a lot of customers in the burn area and we provide security services 12 to 24 hours a day,” he told Fox News Digital. “As if the residents hadn't already been through hell, they learned of the looting and called me in a panic asking me to go back to the scene to protect what was left.”
A house is engulfed in flames during the Eaton Fire in the Altadena area of Los Angeles County, California, on January 8, 2025. (Josh Edelson/AFP via Getty Images)
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He said there are also new potential customers seeking help in the Pacific Palisades community, but they are having trouble getting permits.
“The staff are ready and working hard, but the authorities won't allow it,” he said.
FOX News' Matt Finn contributed to this report.
