LOS ANGELES – Federal authorities announced that an arrest was made in connection with the fatal Palisades Fire that ravaged the tony Pacific Palisades neighborhood in northwest Los Angeles in January.

Jonathan Rinderknecht, 29, is accused of starting a fire in the early hours of Jan. 1 that would later spiral into the multi-week blaze that burned over 23,000 acres, destroyed nearly 7,000 structures, and is attributed to 12 deaths, according to court documents .

A probable cause statement in the criminal complaint, filed in the federal court in Los Angeles on Oct. 2, alleges that Rinderknecht was once a resident of the Palisades and knew the area well. He later moved to Melbourne, Florida, where he was arrested, authorities said at the press conference announcing the charges.

Rind

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