Kenneth Fire Was Arson, Burns 1,000 Acres, 35% Contained

6:30 a.m. UPDATE: The Kenneth Fire has scorched at least 960 acres and was 35% contained, according to the latest CalFire update.

ORIGINAL STORY:

LOS ANGELES — The Kenneth Fire, which exploded rapidly Thursday afternoon in West Hills, was arson, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.

Senior Lead Officer Charles Dinse confirmed the arrest of a suspect, who had been detained by citizens before police showed up.

According to Dinse, the fire began at the Victory Trailhead.

"About 20 minutes, 30 minutes later, a suspect was detained in Woodland Hills area by citizens," he said.

Police told Patch that around 4:30 p.m. they responded to a call for a possible arson suspect trying to light a fire in the 21700 block of Ybarra Road, that authorities took the person into custody, and that they were continuing to investigate.

The area to which police responded is near the site of the Kenneth Fire.

The fire was reported by the Los Angeles Fire Department shortly after 2:30 p.m. at 50 acres. By 5:35 p.m. it had reached 960 acres, according to Cal Fire. Overnight into Friday, the blaze was 1,000 acres but crews had it 35 percent contained, and evacuation orders were canceled, according to CalFire.

"We are expecting this fire to rapidly spread due to high winds" Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said in a press conference Thursday evening streamed on KTLA around 5:15 p.m. "When you are told to evacuate please evacuate."

The fire started in Los Angeles and burned quickly into Ventura County, according to Los Angeles Fire Chief Kristin Crowley, who spoke during the press conference. Authorities said they anticipated the blaze would grow rapidly over the next hour and that additional resources had been requested and were en route, with 60 companies initially dispatched.

Malibu residents were instructed to be on alert for additional evacuation information.

The blaze was burning near the West Hills neighborhood that is packed with homes in the San Fernando Valley, and evacuation orders were issued Thursday afternoon.

SEE ALSO: West Hills Fire Map: See Kenneth Fire Perimeter, Evacuation Areas

"Fanned by strong Santa Ana winds, the fire threatens nearby communities and infrastructure, prompting swift evacuation orders," according to a situation summary from Cal Fire.

Firefighters from Los Angeles and Ventura counties were using ground and aerial resources to battle the blaze, but faced challenging terrain and persistent winds, according to Cal Fire.

Overnight into Friday, evacuation warnings were in place for Vanowen Street south to Burbank Boulevard and County Lane Road east to East Valley Circle Boulevard.

The blaze was burning in the area of Victory Boulevard west of Gilmore Street.

The Associated Press and Patch staffer Paige Austin contributed to this story.