Woodland Hills residents stop man with blowtorch that may be connected to Kenneth Fire, officials say

LOS ANGELES – Officials in the West Hills area are investigating the Kenneth fire that broke out Thursday afternoon as a possible arson, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. One person has been detained in the investigation. Now, a police source tells FOX 11 that a man arrested Thursday in Woodland Hills may be connected to the fire.

The arrest happened around 4:30 p.m. Thursday, near the area of ​​Arcos Drive and Galendo Street. Residents say a man rode around on a bicycle with a large blowtorch and tried to set fire to several old Christmas trees and trash cans. As the man rode away, the neighbors followed him and eventually stepped inside.

A neighbor said a group went up and grabbed the man, at one point even zip-lining him.

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“He was very much like, ‘I can’t stop. I can’t stop. I’m not putting this down. I’m doing this,'” one man said. “And (he was) very focused on moving forward with the blowtorch. And we say, ‘We can’t do that right now.'”

Videos from the scene showed officers arriving to arrest the man.

A police source told FOX 11 that the man arrested in Woodland Hills could potentially be connected to the Franklin fire, although it was not immediately clear.