‘SUSPICIOUS’

Suspected Arsonist Sought After Palisades Fire Forces Mandatory Evacuations

A rep for the Los Angeles Fire Department said that a possible suspect had been sighted on Saturday but had evaded law enforcement officers.

Los Angeles County authorities say they are seeking a possible arsonist who may have started a “suspicious” brush fire that forced the evacuation of more than 1,000 Topanga Canyon residents. The Los Angeles Fire Department said a possible suspect was spotted on Saturday but was able to elude law enforcement officials. Firefighters have struggled to contain the blaze, which started late Friday night in the city’s affluent Pacific Palisades neighborhood, because of the rugged and hilly terrain in the area, making it difficult to access the area on foot. According to the LAFD, the fire has extended to more than 1,300 acres. While wet conditions have hampered the fire’s spread somewhat, authorities expressed concern in an update that a shift in winds could cause the blaze to spread to the northeast, where vegetation is “very dry and has not burned in 50+ years.”