A Southern California man was arrested On May 17 local time in connection with a wildfire in Palisades, California, ABC reported.
The fire was first spotted around 10 p.m. on Friday (May 14), according to local fire officials. The fire was initially contained to about 100 acres, but gusts and dry trees caused the fire to break out and spread quickly. At present, the fire covers an area of 1,325 acres (about 536.2 hectares), the fire is completely out of control. At least 1,000 people were forcibly evacuated.
Local officials reportedly suspected that the fire was man-made. On Friday night, the crew of a police helicopter found a suspected arsonist. The suspect was detained for questioning on Saturday and arrested on Monday and is being treated in hospital for smoke inhalation.
The Palisades fire occurred early in California’s wildfire season and is a potentially dangerous time. The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said last week that 2,000 wildfires in california had covered nearly 14,000 acres by the start of 2021, a 700 percent increase from 2020.
