Local residents likely had flashbacks to the much larger Sunset Fire in January, as firefighters yesterday knocked down a brush fire burning in Runyon Canyon.
Firefighters were dispatched at 11:47 a.m. Sunday to 3026 Runyon Canyon Road, at Runyon Canyon Park, for a blaze that started with just one palm tree and spread to about a quarter-acre. Luckily, they had the fire out by 12:25 p.m., according to the Los Angeles Fire Department. According to reports, authorities also had an arson suspect in custody.
Video posted to social media shows what looks to be hikers detaining a man holding a black bag. The woman holding the camera asks him, “You just started that fire?”
He replies, “I did. You’re right.”
The video soon cuts to the same setting with at least three fire engines on scene and a helicopter dropping water overhead. The man is then seen being cuffed by police as the crowd applauds his initial captors.
According to the LAFD, approximately 53 firefighters were on the ground in order to fully extinguish all active flames. CBS News Los Angeles confirmed with the LAPD that one person was taken into custody. “It wasn’t yet clear as of Sunday evening what charges, if any, the person would be facing,” the station reported.
The Sunset Fire began on January 8 in the area of Solar and Astral drives in the vicinity of Runyon Canyon. It charred about 43 acres, destroyed several homes and prompted evacuations before firefighters gained the upper hand around midnight.
City News Service contributed to this report.
