Local law enforcement in the city of Los Angeles revealed on Thursday evening that a brand new fire that has popped up in the city is now being treated as an arson case. What’s being called the Kenneth Fire in West Hills quickly became an inferno spreading over 1,000 acres in just a few short hours and as of this writing is 0 percent contained. Part of the reason for this is that firefighters are currently working on gaining control over other fires raging in the city.
Charles Dinsel, LAPD Senior Lead Officer, spoke with the media saying, “What we know right now is that the incident occurred, started here [Victory Trailhead], and about 20-30 minutes later, a suspect was detained over Woodland Hills area by citizens.”
Dinsel was then asked if the fire was “purposely set” by someone to which he replied, “At this time, that’s what we believe, yes.” He then explained they did not have a motive for the arson, but revealed the area was indeed being treated as a crime scene.
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Local radio station KFIAM640 posted a photo of the alleged suspect that also showed what appears to be a blow torch on top of the police car next to him.
BREAKING: @KFIAM640 @DebraMark1 says this man was arrested for apparently starting fires in Woodland Hills area. We are awaiting confirmation. Note the possible torch on hood of car. LISTEN LIVE we are talking w her now. pic.twitter.com/Nsahmq2ZZJ
— Tim Conway Jr Show (@ConwayShow) January 10, 2025
The development comes as thousands of firefighters have been deployed to battle several other fires in Los Angeles over the last couple of days. The Palisades Fire has destroyed more than 19,000 acres while the Eaton Fire, in Altadena, has destroyed more than 13,000 acres. Nearly 200,000 people have been ordered to evacuate their homes because the fires spread quickly due to the notorious Santa Ana winds in the area. The wildfires are on track to be by far the most expensive wildfire in U.S. history, according to new estimates.
The Wall Street Journal obtained estimates from JPMorgan Chase that put the economic damages from the fire at $50 billion, a number that is likely to continue growing. The New York Times reported that the two largest fires — the Eaton and Palisades fires — have destroyed as many as 10,000 structures. The report said that the 2018 Camp Fire in Northern California’s Butte County was previously considered to be the most destructive fire in U.S. history, causing $12.5 billion in insured losses.
The Global Weather Center by AccuWeather, has estimated the amount of damage done by the fires to be somewhere between $52 billion and $57 billion. That is a massive amount of money. However, the spiritual and emotional destruction these losses have left behind can’t be tabulated. People lost their homes and their entire lives, everything they’ve worked for and took pride in, all gone, turned to ashes.
The Daily Wire is reporting that tens of thousands of acres of land have been obliterated among the several fires that have been spreading through various parts of Los Angeles. Making matters worse, new fires are emerging.
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“The report noted that hurricanes cause the largest insured losses, with Hurricane Katrina causing the most damage in history at more than a $100 billion in 2005. Hurricane Ian in 2022 was the second most destructive storm in history in terms of insured losses with more than $55 billion lost,” the report concluded.