“The arrest, we hope, will offer a measure of justice to all those impacted,” Mr Essayli said.
Officials said further charges – including murder for those who were killed – could come in the future.
The suspect was familiar with the area because he was a former resident of Pacific Palisades, officials said. Since the fires, he relocated to Florida.
He lit the fire with an open flame after he completed a ride as an Uber driver on New Year’s Eve. Days later that fire spread and became one of the most damaging in Los Angeles history.
Officials said that the suspect had lied to investigators.
Among the thousands of structures destroyed in the fires were the homes of a number of celebrities including Mel Gibson, Paris Hilton and Jeff Bridges.