Bystanders Detain Brush Fire Arson Suspect In Chatsworth

LOS ANGELES, CA — Bystanders detained a man suspected of deliberately starting a 100-acre fire near the Chatsworth Nature Preserve on Monday, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department announced Tuesday.

The fire was reported Monday just after 4:30 p.m. Monday in the 24000 block of Woolsey Canyon Road in Chatsworth. Deputies and firefighters arrived on scene to find a group of witnesses detaining the suspect who, was being held prone on the ground, according to the sheriff's department.

"The witnesses pointed to the suspect, and told deputies they witnessed him lighting a brush fire near Knapp Ranch Road and Woolsey Canyon Road," according to the Sheriff's Information Bureau. "The witnesses stated the suspect lit the fire and left the location. The witnesses followed in their vehicle. The suspect eventually surrendered, placing himself in the prone position."

The Los Angeles County Fire Department quickly extinguished the blaze, and deputies arrested a man identified as Alejandro Martinez on suspicion of arson, a sheriff's department spokeswoman told Patch.

Martinez is scheduled to be arraigned Wednesday.

Anyone with information about this incident is encouraged to contact the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department's Arson/Explosive Unit at (323) 881-7500.

The alleged arson comes as Los Angeles County continues to reel from the most destructive wildfires in county history. The causes of both the Palisades and Eaton fires remain under investigation.

In the aftermath of those blazes, which broke out in early January and reached 100 percent containment over the weekend, police have arrested multiple people suspected of committing arson around the county.

SEE ALSO: Arson Suspects Admit To Liking The Smell, Chaos And Destruction: LAPD

At a January press conference, Los Angeles Police Department Chief im McDonnell said arson suspects explained to investigators that they like to watch things burn.

One suspect arrested in January told police "The suspect admitted to starting the fire because he 'liked the smell of burning leaves,'" McDonnell said.

Another "suspect admitted to setting multiple fires that day, and stated that she enjoyed causing chaos and destruction," he added.

Anyone with information about the Chatsworth case is urged to call the sheriff's Arson/Explosive Unit at 323-881-7500. The fire was knocked down by the Los Angeles County Fire Department.