1 person detained in connection with the Palisades fire in Los Angeles that killed 12 people
The U.S. Department of Justice has announced that a person accused of intentionally starting the fire in the luxury neighborhood of Pacific Palisades in Los Angeles on January 7, which resulted in 12 deaths and tens of billions of dollars in damages, has been taken into custody.
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One person has been detained in connection with the fire that broke out on January 7 in the luxury neighborhood of Pacific Palisades in Los Angeles, California. The U.S. Department of Justice announced that 29-year-old Florida resident Jonathan Rinderknecht was taken into custody on charges of intentionally starting the Palisades fire.
Prosecutors alleged that Jonathan Rinderknecht started the fire near a hiking trail in the mountains near Pacific Palisades shortly after midnight on the night of January 1, after finishing his shift as a taxi driver.
The Los Angeles Fire Department believed the fire had been extinguished shortly after it started, but federal investigators stated that the fire continued to burn underground for a week before reigniting on January 7 and turning into the Palisades Fire.
In the criminal complaint prepared by the Los Angeles Prosecutor's Office, it was stated that 29-year-old Rinderknecht called the 911 emergency line multiple times before reporting the fire on January 1, and eventually managed to get connected. The complaint also included information that Rinderknecht recorded the firefighters trying to extinguish the fire with his mobile phone, and that while connected to the 911 line, he asked an artificial intelligence application, "If a fire starts because of a cigarette, is it your fault?" It was noted that Rinderknecht later gave contradictory statements during the investigation regarding whether he was smoking near the hiking trail.
HE WILL FACE UP TO 20 YEARS IN PRISON
The criminal complaint revealed that the Palisades fire most likely started when a person used a lighter to ignite vegetation or a flammable material such as paper, and mobile phone data showed that no one other than Rinderknecht was in the area at the time. Because the fire affected federal land, Rinderknecht will face federal arson charges. The suspect is expected to be tried with a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison under this charge.
IT CAUSED NEARLY 150 BILLION DOLLARS IN DAMAGE
According to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE), the Palisades fire, which began on January 7, reduced 23,448 acres of land to ashes, while 6,837 structures were destroyed and 1,017 structures sustained major damage. In the fire, which went down in history as one of the greatest disasters in Los Angeles history, 12 people lost their lives and it caused nearly 150 billion dollars in damage.
The fire, which occurred simultaneously with another major fire known as the Eaton Fire in the Altadena-Pasadena area, devastated large parts of Pacific Palisades, Topanga, and Malibu, and the flames could only be completely brought under control 24 days later.