Los Angeles fires: Dangerous weather forecast for Southern California as wildfires rage

​

An on-screen hero came to his own community’s rescue after stopping a suspected arsonist from lighting a fire in a Los Angeles neighborhood.

On Thursday, “Chicago Fire” actor Brian J. White was one of several residents who detained a man, later identified as an illegal immigrant from Mexico, for allegedly waving a blowtorch on private property.

White, who lives in Woodland Hills, was preparing to evacuate his neighborhood due to the nearby Kenneth Fire (now 100% contained), when he realized something was awry outside.

“We were packing up, and all of a sudden, out front of our house, I hear screaming, ‘Put it down, put it down,'” White told Deadline. “I thought somebody had a gun and my neighbor was in duress, so my daughter went and hid in the closet, and I went running upstairs to go outside and help my neighbor.”

In video obtained by Fox News Digital, individuals can be heard screaming at a man that ICE sources would later tell Fox was an illegal immigrant from Mexico named Juan Manuel Sierra-Leyva.

According to White, a resident in the neighborhood had chased Sierra-Leyva down to White’s direct neighbor’s home, where he stood with a blowtorch. He had allegedly been trying to burn flammable debris in White’s trash can.

White, along with a third neighbor, said they “backed the guy against our neighbor’s house that he was standing in front of, asking him why he was in the neighborhood.” White said the individual was acting erratically and “then became very aggressive about being asked what he was doing here.” 

“He said he was looking for a place to hang out. And we’re like, ‘Well, this isn’t the place to hang out.’”

White and his neighbors intended to let the police – who had been called by the men’s wives – handle the situation, but Sierra-Leyva “became more aggressive.” White and his neighbors decided to make a citizen’s arrest. 

“Two of our neighbors work on cars in the garages; they had zip ties in one garage and [a] little bit of rope in another garage. So we took him down, detained him, and waited for the police. Sixteen cruisers showed up within about seven minutes of us calling, and the rest is on the news.”

A representative for White did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. Per Deadline, LAPD arrested Sierra-Leyva for felony probation violation, but didn’t have enough evidence for an arson charge.

This is an excerpt from an article by Caroline Thayer.