Two men have been charged with arson Los Angeles in unrelated cases as authorities battle fire, looters and multiple raging fires in Southern California.
The incidents occurred in different parts of Los Angeles County over the weekend, according to the district attorney’s office.
Jaime Mota, 37, is being held on $350,000 bail for allegedly setting fire to a stack of wooden pallets behind a shipyard in the City of Industry on Saturday afternoon. The flames spread to the tractor trailer and surrounding brush, according to authorities. He could face seven years in prison if convicted.
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Firefighters work on the scene as an apartment building burns during the Eaton fire in the Altadena area of Los Angeles County, California, on January 8, 2025. (JOSH EDELSON/AFP via Getty Images)
In Irwindale, 27-year-old Ruben Michael Montes is being held on $400,000 bond for allegedly starting a fire under the Interstate 605 overpass at Rivergrade Road. He was already on probation at the time of the incident and faces up to 14 years in prison if convicted.
“We owe it to the victims of these fires, as well as the brave first responders, to ensure justice is served,” District Attorney Nathan Hochman said in a statement. “Let this be a message to anyone contemplating similar acts – you will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
Firefighters battle the flames of the Palisades Fire that engulfed the Palisades Theater during a severe storm on January 8, 2025 in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. (Apu Gomes/Getty Images)
He noted that his department also recently charged 10 others with robbery or arson and said that he would continue to deal with crime.
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“The people of Los Angeles County are enduring unprecedented hardship as wildfires ravage our communities, displace families, destroy homes and tragically claim lives,” Hochman said.
“While emergency responders and residents work tirelessly to save lives and property, we will not tolerate individuals who take advantage of this tragedy to commit heinous acts of arson or robbery. My Office continues to apply relentless pressure on those who threaten the safety of our county.”
A helicopter descends as smoke billows from the Palisades Fire in the Encino neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, USA on January 11, 2025. (REUTERS/Daniel Dreifuss)
On Tuesday, Hochman and District Attorney Todd Spitzer of neighboring Orange County teamed up to ask Gov. Gavin Newsom to make robbery a felony.
The arson sparked the interest of the police and ordinary citizens alike.
Nathan Hochman at a Los Angeles District Attorney candidate forum at the Pacific Palms Resort before winning the November election. (Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
Last week, the “Chicago Fire” actor. Brian J. White he took the battle into the real world when he and a group of neighbors made a civil arrest of an illegal immigrant who was marching through their neighborhood with a blowgun.
On Monday, Hochman’s office announced charges against a homeless man in Azusa after neighbors saw him start a fire in a park near their homes. They confronted him verbally until a nearby Azusa police officer arrived and handcuffed him at the scene.
Police in Azusa arrested 39-year-old homeless arson suspect Jose Carranza-Escobar just steps from a small brush fire they say he admitted to starting as Los Angeles battles multiple large fires. (obtained by Fox News Digital)
“Azusa Police urge everyone to remain vigilant as wildfires continue to affect the county,” Azusa Capt. Rob Landeros said in a statement over the weekend. “We have to be vigilant about individuals who might come into our community with the intention of starting a fire.”
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Flames from the Palisades Fire engulf a building on Sunset Boulevard amid a powerful storm on January 8, 2025 in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. (Apu Gomes/Getty Images)
Firefighters quickly extinguished that fire, authorities say.
In another unrelated arson attack, Jim McDonnell told the local ABC affiliate that one of the suspected arsonists told police he “liked the smell of burning leaves.”
Multiple fires in Los Angeles they have killed at least 24 people over the past week, and that number is expected to rise.
