Los Angeles (CNN) — Florida resident Jonathan Rinderknecht, 29, is facing a federal charge of destruction of property by means of fire, according to Bill Essayli, the acting US attorney for Southern California.

“The investigation into the Palisades Fire of January 2025 was lengthy, complex and, as I mentioned, extremely thorough,” Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell said at a news conference on Wednesday.

The fire burned thousands of homes and killed 12 people when it tore through the Los Angeles area in January.

The official determination for the blaze was previously “ under investigation .”

California Attorney General Rob Bonta told CNN earlier this year there were “some indications that arson is a possibility that we have to be open to.”

Fifteen members of the Bureau of Alc

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