Police took a suspect into custody on Thursday, Jan. 9, in Los Angeles after a witness said a person was trying to light a fire, but police say no connection to any of the wildfires is confirmed.
The suspect, who has not been named, was apprehended after a call came in at 4:32 p.m. for a “possible arson suspect” on the 21700 block of Ybarra Road, the Los Angeles Police Department said in a statement.
According to the LAPD, “A male was heard stating a suspect was ‘attempting to light a fire.'”
The suspect was transported to the LAPD’s Topanga Station. “We are continuing our investigation, and we CANNOT confirm any connection to any fire by this suspect at this time,” the statement said.
The apprehension took place near the Kenneth Fire, a rapidly spreading blaze that has already burned 1,000 acres in Los Angeles and Ventura Counties and forced evacuations.
The fire was reported around 3:00 p.m. on Thursday afternoon near the city of West Hills. The Kenneth Fire has spread and is now threatening nearby Hidden Hills and Calabasas, where celebrities like Jessica Simpson and the Kardashians reside.
“What we know right now is the incident started here and about 20 minutes or 30 minutes later a suspect was detained in the Woodland Hills area by citizens,” an LAPD official identified as Senior Lead Officer Charles Dinse told NewsNation on Thursday evening. (Dinse was identified as Sean Dinse in a report by local outlet KTLA.)
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When asked by NewsNation if someone purposely set the Kenneth Fire, the official responded, “At this time, that’s what we believe this, yes.” Dinse also told KTLA the Kenneth Fire “is investigated as a crime.”
PEOPLE has reached out to Dinse for comment.
The Kenneth fire is just one of at least a half dozen major fires that have ravaged the Southland since Tuesday, forcing over 100,000 evacuations
Click here to learn more about how to help the victims of the L.A. fires.
