According to the suspicions, the man, who drives a taxi, shortly after midnight on New Year's Day is believed to have ignited some kind of flammable material in the Pacific Palisades area by the Los Angeles coast.
The fire department initially seemed to have succeeded in extinguishing the flames, but underground it continued to smolder and when strong winds swept in, they carried the fire with them, which gained momentum and spread. For several weeks, the fires raged, which cost a dozen people their lives and destroyed thousands of homes and other buildings.
Court documents claim that the 29-year-old shortly after starting the fire himself called and alerted. He is then said to have left the scene but then returned and filmed the rescue service personnel who were working on extinguishing the fire.
The suspect, who at the time of the crime lived in the area, was arrested at his home in Florida on Tuesday and is scheduled to appear in court later on Wednesday. The charges against him concern destruction of property.
In addition to the fire in Pacific Palisades, another fire broke out in the Altadena area on the same day, which also led to severe devastation and several fatalities. The cause of the fire in that case has not yet been established.
