A man has been arrested in connection with a fire in the Whittier area that scorched several acres of brush and damaged three homes, authorities said Friday.
The fire was first reported about 2:30 p.m. Thursday near Cinco View Drive and East Banyon Rim Drive, near according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department.
Fixed-wing aircraft and more than 200 firefighters were sent to battle the flames, which quickly engulfed one home, caused extensive damage to another next door and also damaged a third residence, the fire department reported.
A man was found on a hiking trail with a “non-lethal” burn injury and was taken to a hospital, the fire department reported. The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department began an investigation.
“Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department Special Enforcement Bureau Arson Explosives Detail … detectives have arrested a suspect, who was found in the canyon with burns, for the residential fires in the area of Banyan Rim Drive in Whittier,” the LASD said in a statement on Friday afternoon.
“The suspect, who was arrested for arson, is a Whittier resident described as in his early 50s,” the statement said. “There are no further details at this time as the investigation is ongoing.” The name of the suspect was not immediately released.
The fire was 100% contained by Thursday night, the fire department reported.
