LAPD Has Suspect in Custody After Receiving Call About Possible Arson

The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) received a call on Thursday afternoon local time about a possible arson suspect, Newsweek has learned.

In a 4:30 p.m. radio call, “a male was heard stating a suspect was attempting to light a fire” in Woodland Hills, at the 21700 block of Ybarra Road in Los Angeles, an LAPD official told Newsweek. The call arrived about two hours after the Kenneth wildfire was first reported.

Police added that officers arrived and apprehended a suspect. But the official also said the LAPD is “continuing our investigation and cannot confirm any connection to any fire by this suspect at this time.”

The Context

Los Angeles continues to grapple with a spate of devastating wildfires—exacerbated by a severe windstorm—that have been ravaging Southern California all week.

The most recent fire, the Kenneth fire, was first reported around 2:30 p.m. local time, just north of the 101 Freeway. By the evening, the fire engulfed 960 acres and as of Thursday night, emergency crews have not managed to contain it.

What To Know

The most destructive inferno has been the one ignited in Pacific Palisades, which was first reported Tuesday and covers nearly 20,000 acres in Los Angeles County. The Eaton fire, which spans 13,690 acres, erupted later that day, as did the Hurst fire, which has spread over 771 acres.

Officials have not managed to contain the Eaton fire and have suppressed about 37 percent of the Hurst fire, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

The Lidia fire, which started on Wednesday, covers 348 acres and has been 60 percent controlled.

At least six people have died as a result of the catastrophic wildfires and nearly 180,000 have been evacuated. Thousands of homes, businesses and other structures have been destroyed and the region has suffered about $150 billion in damages.

Democratic lawmakers have drawn a surge of criticism since the fires began. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass was lambasted, including by members of her own party, for traveling abroad while Californians were forced to flee their homes amid the fires and California Governor Gavin Newsom has attracted harsh scrutiny from Republicans.

What People Are Saying

Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said at a news conference that officials expect the death toll will mount: “At one point, we’ll be able to do a more thorough search of these impacted areas, some of them look like a bomb was dropped in them, where we will be able to bring in canines and other things to help us. Unfortunately, I think the death toll will rise.”

What Comes Next

Firefighters continue battling the cataclysmal flames, while local and federal emergency officials work on evacuating residents in peril.

Update 01/10/2025, 12:15 a.m.: This article was updated with additional information and further context.