--- title: What to Know: The Arrest Made Near Kenneth Fire description: "This investigation is ongoing," the LAPD confirmed on Friday. canonical: https://time.com/7206065/suspected-arson-arrest-made-near-kenneth-fire-los-angeles/ author: Rebecca Schneid article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2025-01-10T15:58:25.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-01-19T17:35:48.000Z article:section: U.S. og:title: What We Know About Arrest Made Near the Kenneth Fire in L.A. og:description: "This investigation is ongoing," the LAPD confirmed on Friday. og:url: https://time.com/7206065/suspected-arson-arrest-made-near-kenneth-fire-los-angeles/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt2b1e12c2d0dbade6/6998b2681500fb821aaa40fa/GettyImages-2192539987.jpg?branch=production&width=2400&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: 1490120-me-Kenneth-fire_BRV og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: What We Know About Arrest Made Near the Kenneth Fire in L.A. twitter:description: "This investigation is ongoing," the LAPD confirmed on Friday. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt2b1e12c2d0dbade6/6998b2681500fb821aaa40fa/GettyImages-2192539987.jpg?branch=production&width=2400&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # What We Know About the Arrest Made Near the Kenneth Fire in L.A. ## Video: Celebrities Affected by California Wildfires Post Videos on Social Media [Watch (HLS stream): Celebrities Affected by California Wildfires Post Videos on Social Media](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/qLn72LzF.m3u8) (1:54)  _Published 2025-01-09. The wildfires burning in and around Los Angeles have destroyed vast swathes of land and impacted countless lives. As of Thursday morning, at least five people are dead, tens of thousands of acres including thousands of homes have been razed, and Gov. Gavin Newsom and President Joe Biden have declared, respectively, a state of emergency and major disaster._  by [Rebecca Schneid](/author/rebecca-schneid/)  ## Rebecca Schneid Reporter Updated: Jan 19, 2026 5:35 PM CUTPublished: Jan 10, 2025 3:58 PM CUT  The Kenneth fire burns in the Upper Las Virgenes Open Space Preserve on Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025, in West Hills, L.A. The Kenneth fire burns in the Upper Las Virgenes Open Space Preserve on Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025, in West Hills, L.A.Brian van der Brug/Los Angeles Times—Getty Images  by [Rebecca Schneid](/author/rebecca-schneid/)  ## Rebecca Schneid Reporter Updated: Jan 19, 2026 5:35 PM CUTPublished: Jan 10, 2025 3:58 PM CUT A man was taken in for questioning on suspicion of arson, and later arrested, on Thursday afternoon in the Woodland Hills near the Kenneth Fire, which had started earlier that day. It [was initially reported](https://edition.cnn.com/weather/live-news/los-angeles-wildfires-palisades-eaton-california-01-10-25-hnk#cm5qgyoxz001s3b6mtl0dc1c8 "undefined") 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](https://youtu.be/czNqOuC8ip8?t=81 "undefined"). The LAPD revealed in a Friday morning press conference that their investigation hadn’t found enough evidence for an arson charge. Instead, the suspect has been arrested on a “felony probation violation.” Assistant police chief Dominic Choi said that the LAPD’s major crimes division had interviewed the suspect once it was learned they were a "possible arson suspect." “This investigation is ongoing, however, and I’d like to thank the community members who were involved in this and helping us bring this person to our attention,” Choi told reporters. According to local news station [KTLA](https://ktla.com/news/local-news/arson-suspect-arrested-in-woodland-hills-near-kenneth-fire/ "undefined"), citizens in the area held down the suspect until the police arrived. The Los Angeles Police Department’s official Public Information Officer account initially [announced](https://x.com/LAPDPIO/status/1877562642333626697 "undefined") the detainment via social media. “At 4:32 p.m., a radio call was generated on the 21700 block of Ybarra Road for a possible arson suspect. A male was heard stating a suspect was ‘attempting to light a fire.’ The suspect is in custody and was transported to Topanga Station,” the post read. Ybarra Road is located in the Woodland Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles, near the west San Fernando Valley, where the Kenneth Fire continues to blaze.  TIME Map; Getty Images In a [news conference](https://www.facebook.com/CityofLosAngeles/videos/mayor-bass-and-local-leaders-provide-update-on-regional-fires-and-wind-event/1159097952339467/ "undefined") on Thursday evening, Los Angeles Fire chief Kristin Crowley stated that the Kenneth Fire “shows we are absolutely not out of this extreme weather event.” The blazes that are ravaging Los Angeles County have killed at least 10 people,[ according to a Jan. 9 update](https://me.lacounty.gov/2025/press-releases/medical-examiners-response-to-ongoing-wildfires-in-la-county/ "undefined") from the Los Angeles County’s Medical examiner, with officials warning that the actual toll won’t be clear until it’s safe for investigators to access damaged areas. The Kenneth Fire grew rapidly to 1,000 acres within hours. [As of 8.30 a.m. on Jan. 10](https://www.fire.ca.gov/incidents/2025/1/9/kenneth-fire/updates/e28bbab6-17ba-4c44-89c3-46d0649985d0 "undefined"), the blaze is at 1000 acres, with 35% contained. Evacuation warnings are currently in place for Vanowen south to Burbank Boulevard and County Lane road east to E. Valley Circle Boulevard, though mandatory evacuation orders have been lifted. But, things may change fast as the “challenging terrain and persistent winds complicate suppression activity,” according to [Cal Fire. ](https://www.fire.ca.gov/incidents/2025/1/9/kenneth-fire "undefined") Citizens are advised to stay vigilant. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/7206065/suspected-arson-arrest-made-near-kenneth-fire-los-angeles/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/7206065/suspected-arson-arrest-made-near-kenneth-fire-los-angeles/"},"headline":"What We Know About the Arrest Made Near the Kenneth Fire in L.A.","datePublished":"2025-01-10T15:58:25.000Z","dateModified":"2026-01-19T17:35:48.000Z","description":"\"This investigation is ongoing,\" the LAPD confirmed on Friday.","url":"https://time.com/7206065/suspected-arson-arrest-made-near-kenneth-fire-los-angeles/","keywords":["California","News Desk"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt2b1e12c2d0dbade6/6998b2681500fb821aaa40fa/GettyImages-2192539987.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Rebecca Schneid","jobTitle":"Reporter","url":"https://time.com/author/rebecca-schneid/"}],"articleSection":"U.S.","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt2b1e12c2d0dbade6/6998b2681500fb821aaa40fa/GettyImages-2192539987.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"1490120-me-Kenneth-fire_BRV","caption":"1490120-me-Kenneth-fire_BRV","creditText":"Brian van der Brug/Los Angeles Times—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/us/","name":"U.S."}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/california/","name":"California"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/7206065/suspected-arson-arrest-made-near-kenneth-fire-los-angeles/","name":"What We Know About the Arrest Made Near the Kenneth Fire in L.A."}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Celebrities Affected by California Wildfires Post Videos on Social Media","description":"The wildfires burning in and around Los Angeles have destroyed vast swathes of land and impacted countless lives. 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