An apocalyptic, fast moving fire that sparked mass evacuations in Calabasas and the Hidden Hills is being investigated as an arson incident, with one suspect arrested.
The Kenneth fire is tearing through the West Hills at a rapid rate, with 900 exhausted first responders pulled from other high priority infernos in southern California to protect homes and try to contain the flames.
Now, LAPD senior lead officer Charles Dinsel has told NewsNation a suspect is in custody suspected of intentionally causing the blaze.
‘About 20-30 minutes later a suspect was detained over in Woodland Hills area by citizens,’ he said. ‘It is being investigated as a crime.’
Dinsel was asked directly if he believed the fire was set intentionally, and he said: ‘At this time, that’s what we believe. Yes.’
He said there was no clear motive, adding that the area is now being ‘closed off’ for further investigations.
As three intense fires burn out of control, authorities are slowly starting to unearth the widespread devastation beneath the flames, with the death toll rising to seven on Thursday evening and reports that at least 10,000 structures have been wiped out.
Sources told DailyMail.com that a resident called 911 to report a male attempting to set a fire at the 21700 block of Ybarra road at around 4.30pm.
The suspect was arrested and taken to Topanga station.
The Kenneth fire is tearing through the West Hills at a rapid rate, with 900 exhausted first responders pulled from other high priority infernos in southern California to protect homes and try to contain the flames
An apocalyptic, fast moving fire that sparked mass evacuations in Calabasas and the Hidden Hills is being investigated as an arson incident, with one suspect arrested
Sources told DailyMail.com that a resident called 911 to report a male attempting to set a fire at the 21700 block of Ybarra road at around 4.30pm
Heroic first responders were alerted to the latest fire in the upper Los Angeles-Ventura County border spreading rapidly through the West Hills and encroaching upon homes in nearby Calabasas and Hidden Hills
Officials issued a chilling warning on Thursday night urging residents not to ignore the evacuation orders, with Senator Adam Schiff bluntly stating: ‘If you stay, you’re going to die’
‘We cannot confirm any connection to any fire at this time,’ LAPD Drake Madison said.
The arrest confirms Hollywood A-listers’ worst fears that their homes are being targeted.
Happy Days star Henry Winkler, 79, wrote on social media: ‘THERE IS an ARSONIST here in LA . May you be beaten you unrecognizable !!! The pain you have caused !!!’
Actress Alison Sweeney responded: ‘Agreed.’
Singer Chris Brown also had his suspicions, writing: ‘Someone starting these fires. S**t don’t add up.’
TV personality Elizabeth Chambers also chimed in, telling her fans ‘feels like this is a lot more than nature.’
After confirmation that a suspected arsonist had been arrested, Winkler updated his initial post, adding: ‘One in custody so far.’
An LA Fire Department official initially dismissed the claim, saying ‘there’s no way to know at this moment exactly where and how the series of fires started, but an investigation is underway.’
The LA Fire Department has responded after Henry Winkler made a shock claim about the cause of the California blazes
The Malibu coastline was decimated by the Palisades wildfire
Singer Chris Brown also had his suspicions, writing: ‘Someone starting these fires. S**t don’t add up’
Heroic first responders were alerted to the latest fire in the upper Los Angeles-Ventura County border spreading rapidly through the West Hills and encroaching upon homes in nearby Calabasas and Hidden Hills.
Officials issued a chilling warning on Thursday night urging residents not to ignore the evacuation orders, with Senator Adam Schiff bluntly stating: ‘If you stay, you’re going to die.’
‘If you get an evacuation order, get the hell out,’ he said. ‘You may think you can outrun a fire, you cannot outrun these fires. If you stay, you’re going to die in them.’
The fast moving Kenneth blaze is already encompassing 960 acres and threatening the Malibu Canyon area north of the 101 Freeway near Calabasas, home to Kourtney Kardashian and Will Smith. Kim and Khloe Kardashian live in nearby Hidden Hills.
Mandatory evacuation orders were announced as firefighters drop water bombs from the skies in an effort to contain the blaze, which is being spurred on by strong Santa Ana winds.
The road out of Calabasas quickly became gridlocked with bumper to bumper traffic as locals heed warnings and abandon their homes.
Residents across southern California have been warned for days to have bags full of important documents and possessions packed and ready to grab in an emergency.
The fire was reported as 50 acres at 3:45 pm but had exploded to 791 acres by 4.45pm. By 6pm, it encompassed 960 acres.
Later on Thursday, mandatory evacuation orders relating to the Kenneth fire were reduced to evacuation warnings as authorities managed to stop further forward progress.
Mandatory evacuation orders are in place as firefighters drop water bombs from the skies in an effort to contain the blaze, which is being spurred on by strong Santa Ana winds
Mandatory evacuation orders are in place in Calabasas and Hidden Hills, sparking chaos on the roads
A helicopter drops water on the Kenneth wildfire in the Woodland Hills
The combined death toll for all the fires has risen to seven, but officials have warned that is likely to continue to rise as dogs trained to detect human remains are given access to the charred remains of properties in fire ravaged neighborhoods.
Sheriff Robert Luna of Los Angeles County called for ‘patience’ with official death counts.
‘Right now, frankly, we don’t know yet,’ he said. ‘I think the death toll will rise. I hope I’m wrong.’
Across Los Angeles some 180,000 people have been given mandatory evacuation orders, while another 200,000 have been put on alert and warned to consider fleeing their homes.
Officials with Los Angeles County say an evacuation order alert for residents near the Kenneth Fire in the West Hills was mistakenly sent countywide on Thursday afternoon.
The alert was only intended for residents of Calabasas and Agoura Hills.
The damage from the two largest fires – the Pacific Palisades blaze and Eaton inferno – has been immense. Up to 10,000 structures have been wiped out, officials say.
David Acuna, a spokesman for Cal Fire, provided a chilling new warning for Californians as they look ahead to the future and consider rebuilding their lives.
‘There really is no fire season, it’s a fire year,’ he said. ‘I’ve been doing this for 20 years, and I’ve never seen it this bad.’
Similarly, Pasadena fire chief Chad Augustin said: ‘The level of devastation is staggering.’
Neither of the major two fires have been contained whatsoever.
Eaton now covers 13,690 acres, while the larger Palisades fire stretches beyond 17,200 acres.
The high fire weather risk will continue through Friday, National Weather Service Los Angeles meteorologists said Thursday afternoon in a social media post.
Santa Ana winds will be moderate to strong Thursday night, keeping the fire weather threat in the area focused on Los Angeles and Ventura County into Friday morning.
‘The threat doesn’t end after Friday however,’ the post said. Offshore winds will continue into early next week, peaking Sunday as well as Tuesday into Wednesday.
The systemic failures in the deep blue city have led many to wonder how things could’ve gotten this out of hand – and led many to call for the resignation of Mayor Karen Bass and Governor Gavin Newsom.
Bass is under pressure to resign amid the ongoing wildfire crisis, with revelations heroic firefighters had trouble accessing enough water to fight infernos and hydrants were empty.
Across Los Angeles some 180,000 people have been given mandatory evacuation orders, while another 200,000 have been put on alert and warned to consider fleeing their homes
Locals have been ordered to evacuate as fires continue to spread across southern California
Kim Kardashian’s $60million home is within the Hidden Hills
The latest suburbs under threat, Calabasas and Hidden Hills, are home to the Kardashians
Officials with Los Angeles County say an evacuation order alert for residents near the Kenneth Fire in the West Hills was mistakenly sent countywide on Thursday afternoon. The alert was only intended for residents of Calabasas and Agoura Hills
She slashed the LA Fire Department’s budget by $17.6million in 2024 after being talked down from $23million in cuts, and officials ignored warnings about the threat of fire.
President Joe Biden later stated the problems were self-inflicted to avoid further fanning the flames.
‘What I know from talking to the governor, there are concerns out there that there’s also been a water shortage,’ he said in a press briefing Thursday.
‘The fact is the utilities, understandably, shut off power because they are worried the lines that carried energy were going to be blown down and spark additional fires.
‘When it did that, it cut off the ability to generate pumping the water, that’s what caused the lack of water in these hydrants.’
