Kenneth fyer ‘person of interest’ is a convicted felon and entered the country illegally, ICE says

A “person of interest” in the Kenneth fire, who was arrested after being caught with a blowtorch near the source of the fire, has been detained by immigration authorities for entering the country illegally from Mexico, officials said Tuesday.

Juan Manuel Sierra, 33, aka Juan Manuel Sierra-Leyva, was arrested Thursday by the Los Angeles Police Department for violating felony probation after “attempting to start a fire” in a West Hills neighborhood near the site of the Kenneth fire. He is a suspect in connection with the nearly 1,000-acre fire, according to law enforcement officials and a document reviewed by The Times.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement placed an immigration detainer on the Sierra on Saturday. He remains in a Los Angeles County jail. The Sheriff’s Department said it will extradite a person into custody if ICE has an arrest warrant.

Sierra has not been charged in connection with the Kenneth fire, but he was arrested by Los Angeles police officers after he was seen trying to start a fire, according to a police email obtained by The Times. A viral video from a security camera appeared to show Sierra carrying a blowtorch. Residents reported to the LAPD that he was trying to start a fire, and they detained him until police arrived.

According to police sources, some residents chased Sierra after they alleged he was “burning” old Christmas trees that had been put out for disposal.

Sierra was arrested last week on a probation violation, but Ventura County Sheriff’s Department Sgt. Monica Smith identified him as a “person of interest” in the Kenneth fire, which began Thursday afternoon near the Los Angeles and Ventura county line and threatened homes in Calabasas and Hidden Hills.

Fanned by strong Santa Ana winds, the fire consumed more than 1,000 acres of brush and burned south through open space toward homes in the Malibu Canyon area north of the 101 Freeway near Calabasas. But a series of water drops helped contain the fire, fire officials said.

ICE officials said Sierra is a Mexican national who entered the United States illegally on an unknown date and place without inspection by an immigration officer.

According to ICE, Sierra has had “several encounters with law enforcement beginning in November 2016 to present a variety of charges and was convicted of assault with a deadly weapon on October 10, 2023 in Van Nuys.” He was on felony probation when he was arrested.

A man with Sierra’s same birthday has been arrested at least three other times by Los Angeles police since 2023, according to LA County jail records.

Sierra had been under the supervision of the LA County Probation Department since October 2023, stemming from an assault conviction, according to Vicky Waters, the agency’s director of communications. He had pending violations for failing to report to his probation officer and violating the terms of his probation, she said. Sierra last reported to probation in November 2024.