APOCALYPSE

At least 10 dead as cops probe arson claim | Curfew imposed to thwart mobs of looters

- CHRISTOPHER BUCKTIN

THE threat of more wildfires propelled by Santa Ana gusts hung over California last night.

The disaster has already claimed at least 10 lives, destroyed thousands of buildings and forced mass evacuations.

In total, five fires - Palisades, Eaton, Kenneth, Hurst and Lidia - still burn, destroying more than 35,000 acres the equivalent of about 20,000 Hampden Parks.

A man was arrested on Thursday afternoon following a report of suspicious activity in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles County. It was claimed he was found with what locals described as a "large propane tank or flamethrower". Residents bundled him to the ground and tied him up to carry out a citizens' arrest before police arrived. The suspect is reported to be homeless and in his 30s.

Local Renata Grinshpun said: "We banded together as a group."

Dominic Choi, assistant chief of the Los Angeles Police. Department, yesterday said investigators did not have enough probable cause to charge the suspect with arson.

He was instead charged with a felony probation violation.

Earlier, LA Police senior lead officer Charles Dinsel said: "At this time, we believe the fire was set intentionally."

The cause of the blaze near the Kenneth fire remains unclear but it is "being investigated as a crime". The Palisades fire, which began on Tuesday morning, has burned at least 20,000 acres west of LA, but only six percent is contained.

The uncontained Eaton and Kenneth fires have spread to at least 16,600 acres.