Arrest Made in Palisades Fire in Los Angeles

Federal authorities in Los Angeles have made an arrest in the fire that devastated Pacific Palisades in January, killing 12 people and destroying 6,837 structures, two officials with knowledge of the case said on Wednesday.

The name of the person and the charges have not yet been released. The U.S. attorney’s office was expected to announce details at a morning news conference in Los Angeles.

Officials have long said that the fire began on the morning of Jan. 7 near a popular hiking trail overlooking the wealthy coastal community, in the midst of a gathering windstorm. Investigators have explored whether it was tied to an earlier fire nearby that neighbors said was caused by fireworks set off to celebrate the new year.

That Jan. 1 fire, called the Lachman fire, was reported shortly after midnight on New Year’s Day and consumed eight acres near the Skull Rock trailhead in the Palisades Highlands before the Los Angeles City Fire Department declared it to be extinguished. Satellite images later showed an overlap between the Palisades fire and the Lachman fire’s burn scar, and witnesses said that smoke from both fires arose from the same location.

The two officials with knowledge of the case said that investigators believed that the Palisades fire was an extension of the Lachman fire.

This is a developing news story. Please check back for updates.