It was initially reported as an arrest made on the suspicion of arson, with Sean Dinse of the LAPD’s Topanga Division telling a NewsNation reporter on Thursday night that the authorities believed someone had purposefully set the Kenneth Fire.

Authorities said there was not enough probable cause to arrest the man on suspicion of arson, but he has been charged with a felony probation violation

The Kenneth fire burns in the Upper Las Virgenes Open Space Preserve on Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025, in West Hills, L.A. Credit - Brian van der Brug/Los Angeles Times— A man was arrested on suspicion of arson on Thursday afternoon in the Woodland Hills near the Kenneth Fire,

A 960-acre brush fire sparked in the Woodland Hills area near the 101 Freeway Thursday afternoon. The Los Angeles Fire Department said that the fire was quickly burning toward the south, relatively close to homes before they were able to establish perimeter lines.

Residents of Los Angeles’ Woodland Hills neighborhood helped police stop and detain a man with a blowtorch on Thursday, January 9, suspecting him of arson as the Kenneth Fire burned nearby.This footage captured by Chris Sumner shows community members confronting a man with a blowtorch in Woodland Hills,

LAPD officials confirm a man was taken into custody Thursday afternoon but cautioned that he has not been connected to lighting anything ablaze