LAPD provides update on potential arson charges over Kenneth Fire

Law enforcement in Southern California detained a possible arson suspect in connection to one of nearly a half dozen deadly fires raging as of Friday, but the allegation the man started a fire has been determined to be unfounded, officials said.

According to a post on the Los Angeles Police Department's X account Thursday night, just after 4:30 p.m. PT, a call came in near the 21700 block of Ybarra Road in which "a male was heard stating a suspect was attempting to light a fire."

The area where the call came in is near the Kenneth Fire that broke out in the Woodland Hills neighborhood of the San Fernando Valley Thursday.

The suspect was taken into custody and was transported to Topanga Station, the department wrote in the post.

During a press conference mid-Friday morning, police Assistant Chief Dominic Choi said the man was detained by residents who said he was “attempting to light a fire in the community."

After interviewing the suspect and reviewing evidence, Choi told reporters, officers determined they did not have probable cause to arrest the man on charges related to any fires.

Instead, officers arrested him on a felony probation charge, a LAPD spokesperson told USA TODAY by phone.

Police have not identified the person or said what the probation violation was connected to.

Choi said the investigation is ongoing.

Firefighters continued to battle multiple deadly wildfires that broke out earlier this week across the region, destroying more than 10,000 homes, businesses, vehicles, and other structures as of Friday.

The initial fires ? Palisades, Eaton, Hurst, Lidia, and Sunset ? have burned thousands of acres and continue to spread due to humidity and dry vegetation, authorities said. Before the fires started, the National Weather Service issued its highest alert for extreme fire conditions in Los Angeles and Ventura counties.

As of Friday, the official cause of the wildfires remained under investigation by officials, but LAPD's announcement marked the first time suspected arson was mentioned in connection to any of the blazes.

Evacuation warnings still in effect for Kenneth Fire

The Kenneth Fire sparked Thursday afternoon and quickly spread to nearly 1,000 acres in a matter of hours, Cal Fire reported.

As of Friday morning, the fire was 35% contained.

Mandatory evacuation orders had been lifted as of Friday for the Kenneth Fire affecting both Los Angeles and Ventura counties. They were previously in place for the Kenneth Fire for areas including from just east of Palo Comado Canyon Road and Hidden Hills on the west, according to Cal Fire.

But evacuation warnings for the Kenneth Fire were in effect for Vanowen south to Burbank Boulevard County Lane Road east to East Valley Circle Boulevard.

The Kenneth Fire triggered evacuation orders that have since been lifted as forward progress of the fire stopped, Cal Fire reported.

View an interactive map of Kenneth Fire evacuation warnings on the Cal Fire website.

How many Los Angeles area wildfires are still not fully contained?

As of early Friday morning, Cal Fire reported firefighters had contained 3% of the Eaton Fire, 8% of the Palisades Fire, 37% of the Hurst Fire, and 75% containment of the Lidia Fire.

So far, the County of Los Angeles Department of Medical Examiner reported it received notification of 10 fire-related deaths. Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said the death toll may change when it's safe for teams to conduct house-to-house searches for human remains.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency this week as more than 100,000 people have been forced to flee homes and evacuate the area. President Joe Biden approved a major disaster declaration on Wednesday.

This story has been updated to add new information.

Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at [email protected] and follow her on X @nataliealund.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: LAPD gives update on suspect named in Kenneth Fire: What to know