Man, 29, arrested over deadly Los Angeles wildfire

Authorities in California have made an arrest in connection with the deadly January wildfire that erupted into the most destructive blaze in Los Angeles’s history and destroyed the Pacific Palisades neighbourhood.

Jonathan Rinderknecht, 29, has been detained for lighting a fire on New Year’s Day that was put out initially but continued to smoulder underground before reigniting during high winds, acting US attorney Bill Essayli said during a news conference.

Rinderknecht fled the scene of the original fire but returned to the same trail where he had been earlier to watch it burn, Mr Essayli said.

During an interview with investigators, he lied about his location, claiming he was near the bottom of the hiking trail, Mr Essayli said.

He was arrested on Tuesday in Florida and was due to appear in court on Wednesday.

The blaze, which erupted on January 7, killed 12 people and destroyed more than 6,000 homes and buildings in the Pacific Palisades, a wealthy coastal neighbourhood of LA. The fire ripped through hillside areas, destroying mansions with spectacular views of the ocean and central Los Angeles.

Investigators determined the fire was intentionally lit, likely by a lighter taken to vegetation or paper.

Authorities first interviewed Rinderknecht on January 24, according to the criminal complaint. He told them he had been in the area on January 1 and did not see anyone else in the area at that time.

Investigators excluded other possibilities including fireworks, lightning and power lines. Authorities also looked into whether a cigarette could have caused the fire but concluded that was not the cause, the complaint says.

Investigators still have not determined the cause of a second blaze called the Eaton Fire, which broke out the same day in the community of Altadena and killed 18 people.

An outside review released in September found that a lack of resources and outdated policies for sending emergency alerts led to delayed evacuation warnings.

The report commissioned by Los Angeles County supervisors said a series of weaknesses, including “outdated policies, inconsistent practices and communications vulnerabilities”, hampered the county’s response.