Man arrested on suspicion of starting Los Angeles fire as California death toll hits 10

“About 20 to 30 minutes later a suspect was detained over in Woodland Hills area by citizens. It is being investigated as a crime,” an LAPD spokesman said.

Police arrested the man five miles from where the Kenneth Fire is believed to have originated. The suspect is a homeless man in his 30s, according to local reports.

PICTURED: Smoke billows over Woodland Hills, where the Kenneth Fire is raging

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The death toll in the raging California fires has reached 10

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California’s fire chief David Acuna told the BBC this morning investigations were only just starting – and there is still a lack of “conclusive evidence” that fires were purposely lit.

“Now that the life safety is primarily taken care of, and that we have sufficient resources to assist with that, now they’re able to start digging into the investigation and see what they can discover,” Acuna said.

That fire has rapidly spread overnight, growing to more than 800 acres.

Acuna added that more than 10,000 structures are likely to have been destroyed across the Golden State.

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‘It looks like an atomic bomb dropped in these areas. I don’t expect good news,’ LA’s County Sheriff said

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The Los Angeles Fire Department had initially issued mandatory evacuation orders for residents near the Kenneth Fire, though these have since been downgraded to warnings.

At least 900 firefighters have been deployed to contain the inferno.

Some 21 officials are investigating the fires, including 16 arson investigators and a sniffer dog, according to Los Angeles Fire Department Chief Kristin Crowley.

The Palisades Fire between Santa Monica and Malibu in the city’s west, and the Eaton Fire in the east, already rank as the most destructive in Los Angeles history.

At least 900 firefighters have been deployed to contain the inferno

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The blazes have torched more than 34,000 acres or 53 square miles – turning entire neighborhoods to ash.

Late last night, Los Angeles County’s Medical Examiner said the death toll from the fires had risen to 10 – but did not provide identities or other details.

While LA’s County Sheriff Robert Luna told an earlier press conference he expected the number to grow.

“It looks like an atomic bomb dropped in these areas. I don’t expect good news, and we’re not looking forward to those numbers,” he said.