A 50-acre brush fire sparked in the Woodland Hills area near the 101 Freeway Thursday afternoon. The Los Angeles Fire Department said the fire is burning toward the south, relatively close to homes. A mandatory evacuation order has been issued for Vanowne south to Burbank Boulevard and County Lane Road east to East Valley Circle Boulevard,

Residents of Los Angeles’ Woodland Hills neighborhood helped police stop and detain a man with a blowtorch on Thursday, January 9, suspecting him of arson as the Kenneth Fire burned nearby.This footage captured by Chris Sumner shows community members confronting a man with a blowtorch in Woodland Hills,

The suspect, who was not named, was arrested near the Kenneth Fire at about 4:30 p.m. when police were called out to a report of a man attempting to light a fire in the 21700 block of Ybarra Road in Woodland Hills. Police were helped by residents who secured the man until law enforcement arrived.

Los Angeles police said "a male was heard stating a suspect was trying 'to light a fire' near the Kenneth Fire". The allegation was later ruled unfounded.

LAPD Assistant Chief Dominic Choi said an arrest was made Thursday afternoon in Woodland Hills after a man was allegedly attempting to light a fire.