Federal U.S. authorities have arrested and charged a man in Florida over the California wildfires in January.
The 29-year-old is accused of “maliciously” starting a fire in Los Angeles’ Pacific Palisades days earlier on New Year’s Day.
Prosecutors say evidence collected from his devices includes a ChatGPT-generated image of a city on fire.
The man has been charged with destruction of property with fire. If found guilty, he faces up to 20 years in prison.
LA fires
Earlier this year, wildfires burned through more than 15,000 hectares of California’s Palisades and Eaton regions, raging for almost a month.
More than 150,000 people were forced to evacuate their homes as the fires destroyed thousands of properties and killed 31 people.
An international team of scientists has since linked an additional 440 deaths to the fires, due to poor air quality and delays in accessing healthcare.
Allegations
Prosecutors argue the Palisades fires were a “holdover” from a blaze the man, whose name is Jonathan Rinderknecht, intentionally started on New Year’s Eve.
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It’s alleged Rinderknecht dropped off Uber passengers just before midnight, then drove to the Pacific Palisades area and lit a fire.
Authorities responded to the blaze after a call from a nearby resident. It’s alleged Rinderknecht also attempted to call emergency services, but was out of range.
Rinderknecht is alleged to have fled the scene in his car, only to return later to watch the fire grow, and record videos on his phone.
Although the fire was believed to be contained, it continued to “burn underground,” before resurfacing and spreading due to heavy winds.
Prosecutors say he lied to authorities about his location in a later interview, claiming he was at the bottom of a hiking trail when he saw the fire and called emergency services.
Geolocation data from his phone appears to place him nine metres from the fire when he first attempted to call emergency services.
Arrest
Acting Federal Attorney Bill Essayli alleged Rinderknecht’s “recklessness” caused one of LA’s worst fires, resulting in “death and widespread destruction”.
“While we cannot bring back what victims lost, we hope this criminal case brings some measure of justice to those affected by this horrific tragedy,” Essayli said.
California Governor Gavin Newsom said the arrest is a step closer to “uncovering how the horrific Palisades Fire began, and bringing closure to the thousands of Californians whose lives were upended.”
