Arrest made over Palisades Fire that killed 12 people and destroyed 6,800 buildings in Los Angeles
A person has been arrested in connection with the deadly Palisades Fire that killed a dozen people earlier this year, according to reports.
Additional details about the person and the nature of the charges have not yet been released, but authorities are expected to hold a news conference later Wednesday, multiple sources told NBC News.
The fire in the Pacific Palisades area of LA destroyed over 6,800 buildings and killed 12 people on January 7. It was not fully contained until January 31.
A joint press conference, held by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Los Angeles Police Department, is due to take place at 9 a.m. P.T. Wednesday.
An outside review released in September found that a lack of resources and outdated policies for sending emergency alerts led to delayed evacuation warnings.
The report, commissioned by Los Angeles County supervisors, said a series of weaknesses, including “outdated policies, inconsistent practices and communications vulnerabilities,” hampered the county’s response.
Investigators are still working to determine the cause of the Palisades blaze or the Eaton Fire, which broke out the same day in the community of Altadena and killed 18 people.
Both fires burned for days, reducing entire neighborhoods to rubble and ash and ultimately spread across more than 40,000 acres – larger than the land area of Washington D.C. – with the flames having been fanned by a fierce windstorm known as the Santa Ana winds.
The economic losses from the fires may reach $275 billion, according to previous estimates.
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