{"id":287055,"date":"2025-10-08T17:26:10","date_gmt":"2025-10-08T17:26:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/287055\/"},"modified":"2025-10-08T17:26:10","modified_gmt":"2025-10-08T17:26:10","slug":"florida-man-arrested-in-deadly-palisades-wildfire-in-l-a","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/287055\/","title":{"rendered":"Florida man arrested in deadly Palisades wildfire in L.A."},"content":{"rendered":"

LOS ANGELES \u2014 Authorities in California charged a 29-year-old man with starting a fire that days later erupted into the most destructive blaze in Los Angeles history and destroyed much of the Pacific Palisades neighborhood<\/a>, federal law enforcement officials announced Wednesday.<\/p>\n

Authorities accused Jonathan Rinderknecht of lighting a fire on New Year\u2019s Day that was put out initially, but continued to smolder underground before reigniting during high winds, acting U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli said during a news conference.<\/p>\n

Rinderknecht fled the scene of the original fire, but returned to the same trail where he\u2019d been earlier to watch it burn, Essayli said. During an interview with investigators, he lied about his location, claiming he was near the bottom of the hiking trail, Essayli said.<\/p>\n

He was arrested Tuesday in Florida and was due to appear in court Wednesday. Essayli declined to say how investigators believe Rinderknecht started the Jan. 1 fire.<\/p>\n

The blaze, which erupted Jan. 7, killed 12 people and destroyed more than 6,000 homes and buildings in the\u00a0Pacific Palisades<\/a>, a wealthy coastal neighborhood of L.A. The fire ripped through hillside neighborhoods, destroying mansions with spectacular views of the ocean and downtown Los Angeles.<\/p>\n

Investigators determined the fire was intentionally lit, likely by a lighter taken to vegetation or paper, according to a criminal complaint.<\/p>\n

Authorities first interviewed Rinderknecht on Jan. 24, according to the complaint. He told them he had been in the area on Jan. 1 and did not see anyone else at that time.<\/p>\n

Investigators excluded other possibilities, including fireworks, lightning and power lines. Authorities also looked into whether a cigarette could\u2019ve caused the fire, but concluded that was not the cause, the complaint says.<\/p>\n

Investigators still haven\u2019t determined the cause of a second blaze called the Eaton Fire, which broke out the same day in the\u00a0community of Altadena<\/a>\u00a0and killed 18 people.<\/p>\n

Both fires<\/a>\u00a0burned for days, reducing block after block of entire neighborhoods to gray and black debris.<\/p>\n

An outside review released in September found that a lack of\u00a0resources and outdated policies<\/a>\u00a0for sending emergency alerts led to delayed evacuation warnings.<\/p>\n

The report commissioned by Los Angeles County supervisors said a series of weaknesses, including \u201coutdated policies, inconsistent practices and communications vulnerabilities,\u201d hampered the county\u2019s response.<\/p>\n

Tucker reported from Washington, D.C.<\/p>\n

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