LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - JANUARY 8: A firefighter battles the Palisades Fire while it burns homes at Pacific Coast Highway amid a powerful windstorm on January 8, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. The fast-moving wildfire has grown to more than 2900-acres and is threatening homes in the coastal neighborhood amid intense Santa Ana Winds and dry conditions in Southern California. (Photo by Apu Gomes/Getty Images)
California police arrested Ruben Montes after the Los Angeles County Fire Department caught him allegedly starting a fire nearly 12 miles southeast of the Eaton fire.
On Jan. 12, Montes, a native of Baldwin Park, California, was detained and arrested after the firefighters responded to a small brush fire in Irwindale, near Rivergrade Road and the 605 Freeway at approximately 12:30 p.m. local time.
“While on scene, LACOFD personnel observed a suspect actively lighting fires in the area,” the Irwindale Police Department revealed on Instagram.
They also expressed gratitude to their “partners at LACOFD for their quick actions and teamwork in helping bring this dangerous situation under control.”
The Irwindale Police Department did not state whether the arsonist was responsible for the small brush fire near Rivergrade Road. No injuries or damage were reported.
According to online records from the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department, Montes was then booked on Sunday at the West Covina Jail on $75,000 bail.
His next court appearance has been scheduled for the morning of Jan. 15.
Montes’ arrest occurred as the Los Angeles region remained on increased alert during the vast fires that started last week.
Investigators are working to confirm the cause of those fires, but authorities have not suggested that arson is responsible for the Palisades or Eaton fires.
The wildfires in Los Angeles, including the Eaton fire, have caused massive damage to local communities.
Across the city, more than 30,000 were forced to evacuate their homes.
At least 16 people died in the Eaton fire, according to the Los Angeles County coroner’s office.
According to Cal Fire, the fire burned more than 14,000 acres in the hills next to Pasadena and was 27% contained by Sunday night.
On Jan. 8, the child star Rory Sykes died in the wildfires while in his cottage on the family’s 17-acre Malibu estate. His mother, Shelley Sykes, shared this news on social media
On Jan. 10, police arrested a homeless man for attempting to set fires in another neighborhood.
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