SNUFFED OUT
Moment hero locals tackle LA wildfire ‘arsonist’ armed with blowtorch to ground before he’s ARRESTED near celeb enclave
Watch the moment the suspected arsonist was stopped before being hauled to the ground
A SUSPECTED arsonist armed with a blowtorch was tackled to the ground and restrained with zip ties by enraged locals near a celeb enclave in Los Angeles.
He was then arrested close to where the ferocious Kenneth Fire erupted on Thursday afternoon in the West Hills area of Los Angeles on the border of Ventura County.
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Authorities are treating the area as a crime scene as flames continue to rip across more than 1,000 acres.
A man, understood to be in his 30s, has been taken into custody after he was snared by residents.
He was caught allegedly trying to start a fire in the area, senior lead officer Charles Dinsel said.
Dramatic footage shows the suspect - still gripping a blowtorch - arguing with a man in the street.
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More residents then help restrain him before he is hauled to the ground.
They then used zip ties to hold him before police arrived.
Residents said they had spotted a man riding around on a bike gripping a blowtorch.
The suspected arsonist was attempting to set old discarded Christmas trees and garbage cans on fire, they claim.
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Locals then followed him and stopped him before he was arrested, reports.
"We really banded together as a group. A few gentlemen surrounded him and got him on his knees," witness Renata Grinshpun told KLTA.
Powerball billionaire Edwin Castro's $3.8m getaway pad now only smoking rubble as his mansions narrowly escape LA fires
Another clip then shows the suspected arsonist being detained by police with his arms cuffed behind his back.
The Kenneth Fire continues to tear through Ventura County, which borders Los Angeles to the west, threatening luxurious homes in the area.
Dramatic pictures show helicopters dropping water on the raging inferno in a desperate bid to put out the blaze.
Evacuation warnings have reached the exclusive suburbs of Calabasas and Hidden Hill, where the Kardashians are among the celebrities who call the area home.
The Kenneth Fire started on the western edge of Los Angeles in the San Fernando Valley, just two miles from a school serving as a shelter for fire evacuees shortly after 2:30 pm.
"About 20 minutes, 30 minutes later, a suspect was detained over in the Woodland Hills area by citizens," Dinsel told .
He said it was not clear how and why the fire was started - but it is "being investigated as a crime."
By the evening, the blaze had moved into neighboring Ventura County before rapidly spreading overnight to more than 800 acres.
About 400 firefighters remained on the scene overnight to guard against the fire flaring up.
The Los Angeles Fire Department initially issued mandatory evacuation orders for the area known as Hidden Hills but has since downgraded that to warnings.
Los Angeles District Attorney Nathan Hochman has said the penalty for the suspected arsonist could be as high as homicide and could result in life in prison.
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"Justice will be swift. It will be firm, and the maximum punishment will be sought," Hochman said.
"Our goal is to send this warning. Whether it’s looting, these internet scams, robbery or future arsons. … the day and age of a DA’s office standing on the sidelines is over.
"We want to bring justice, and we will."
The Kenneth Fire is one of six fires wreaking havoc in Los Angeles - with ten people confirmed dead, though the toll is feared to be much higher.
The remains of three victims are still being identified, the County of Los Angeles Medical Examiner said.
More than 180,000 residents have been forced to flee their homes - with a further 200,000 warned they may need to quickly evacuate.
Kenneth Fire ignited on Thursday afternoon after five separate fires sparked on Tuesday morning - causing mass destruction.
Among them are two major fires - Palisades and Eaton, which have torn through 53 square miles.
'War zone' LA feels 'broken' as fires still ravage the city - but we will rebuild
The U.S. Sun's Assistant Editor for Exclusives Katy Forrester is an LA resident and she witnessed first-hand the horror as flames engulfed the city. She said the city feels like a "war zone
EVERY year Los Angeles braces itself for wildfires. It is not uncommon to see flames torching the hills and even houses burning to the ground.
But many residents have never witnessed anything as devastating as this week. And it’s nowhere near over.
I spent time near Pacific Palisades, where thick smoke filled the air, and saw desperate families fleeing the city while others begged police to give them access to their properties as roads were blocked off.
“Everything is gone” was heard many times, as thousands of people were left homeless and with few possessions.
I was lucky to only have the power go out in my home, but I’ll never forget what I witnessed traveling throughout the city.
It was like a war zone.
During a visit to a shelter, I spoke with a resident who has lived in his home for almost 30 years and is battling cancer. He stayed long after he was told to pack up and go.
It was only when flames began leaping around his building that he finally gathered his belongings and ran out.
I reported from Altadena, where buildings were still engulfed in flames, and few fire trucks were in sight as emergency services were overwhelmed.
Cars and school buses were completely torched, and heartbroken families stood around in shock, not being able to process what had happened.
As the sun went down, I drove back home towards the city center, which I felt was safe, until I saw orange flames leaping behind buildings just minutes from my house.
I felt sick. I’ve never known wildfires so close to Hollywood, and suddenly, phones were blaring with emergency notifications to evacuate the area.
Traffic lights and street lamps were out, and areas filled with fallen trees from the strong winds became gridlocked.
I feel extremely lucky I live minutes outside of the evacuation zone, but friends panicked and fled their homes.
Although many worldwide will merely shrug when they hear wealthy people have lost their homes, the reality is very different.
The city as a whole feels broken, everyone from single mothers to elderly people have been through hell.
And people are angry.
Dozens have spoken of their insurance policies being canceled just months before the fires, while others are reeling over alleged corruption and mismanagement.
They may be angry. But they are also hopeful. The people of Los Angeles are made of strong stuff.
We will get through this. And we will rebuild.
Arson investigators are also probing the start of the horror Palisades fire, it is understood.
Fire responders and cadaver dogs continue to comb through charred debris in a desperate search for victims after the most devastating blaze in Los Angeles history.
Neighborhoods have been reduced to ash, with celebrities including John Goodman and Leighton Meester watching their pads burn down.
The devastating fires are projected to have a costly impact on the city and its residents.
Private forecaster Accuweather estimates the total damage and economic loss up to $150 billion.
announced on Thursday that the federal government will cover 100% of the cost of the fires for the next 180 days.
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The outgoing president said the costs will include first responders' salaries and shelters that are housing displaced residents.
All of the major fires that have broken out this week are located in a roughly 25-mile band north of downtown Los Angeles.
Of the 10 deaths so far, Los Angeles Fire Chief Kristin Crowley confirmed two were in the Palisades Fire, and county officials said the Eaton Fire had killed five.
The remains of three victims are still being identified, the County of Los Angeles Medical Examiner said.
Two of the dead were Anthony Mitchell, a 67-year-old amputee, and his son, Justin, who had cerebral palsy.
They were waiting for an ambulance to come and did not make it to safety when the flames roared through, Mitchell's daughter, Hajime White, told The Washington Post.
Shari Shaw told KTLA that she tried to get her 66-year-old brother, Victor Shaw, to evacuate Tuesday night but he wanted to stay and fight the fire.
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Crews found his body with a garden hose in his hand.
On Thursday, recovery crews pulled a body from the rubble of what was a beachfront residence in Malibu.
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Celebrities lose homes to wildfires
The wildfires haven't spared the homes of the rich and famous with Hollywood A-listers tragically seeing their houses turned to smouldering rubble.
Those who have had their homes burned down include:
- John Goodman
- Anthony Hopkins
- Paris Hilton
- Leighton Meester and Adam Brody
- Billy Crystal
- Miles Teller
- Eugene Levy
- Anna Faris
- Spencer Pratt and Heidi Montag
- James Woods
- Hunter Biden
Other celebrities have been forced to flee their homes after evacuation orders were issued around the Palisades fire and the Sunset fire.
They include:
- Mark Hamill
- Mandy Moore
- Tom Hanks
- Reese Witherspoon
- Ben Affleck
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