Authorities in California charged a 29-year-old man with starting a fire that days later erupted into the most destructive blaze in Los Angeles history and destroyed much of the Pacific Palisades neighborhood, federal law enforcement officials announced Wednesday.
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Authorities accused 29-year-old Jonathan Rinderknecht of lighting a fire on New Year’s Day that was put out initially, but continued to smolder underground before reigniting during high winds, acting U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli said during a news conference.
He was arrested Tuesday in Florida and was due to appear in court Wednesday. Essayli declined to say how investigators believe Rinderknecht started the Jan. 1 fire.
The blaze, which erupted on Jan. 7, killed 12 people and destroyed more than 6,000 homes and buildings in the Pacific Palisades, a wealthy coastal neighborhood of LA.
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Investigators determined that the fire was intentionally lit, likely by a lighter used to ignite vegetation or paper, according to a criminal complaint.
Authorities first interviewed Rinderknecht on Jan. 24, according to the criminal complaint. He told them he had been in the area on Jan. 1 and did not see anyone else in the area at that time.
Rinderknecht fled the scene of the original fire, but returned to the same trail where he’d been earlier to watch it burn, Essayli said. During an interview with investigators, he lied about his location, claiming he was near the bottom of the hiking trail, Essayli said.
Investigators still haven’t determined the cause of a second blaze called the Eaton Fire, which broke out the same day in the community of Altadena and killed 18 people.
Both fires burned for days, reducing block after block of entire neighborhoods to gray and black debris.
WATCH : Channel 13 sent a reporter to the Los Angeles area as the fire burned and we were able to speak to those affected.
An outside review released in September found that a lack of resources and outdated policies for sending emergency alerts led to delayed evacuation warnings.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.