California wildfires: Suspect arrested in connection with brush fire quickly quashed by firefighters

Los Angeles authorities arrested a man after a brush fire broke out Monday afternoon in the Griffith Park neighborhood.

Kevin Caledron, 26, faces two misdemeanor charges of tampering with a vehicle after authorities responded to reports of a possible arson incident off the 2700 block of Glendower Avenue on Monday around 1 p.m., a Los Angeles Police Department spokesperson told Fox News Digital.

County records show Caledron is being held on $30,000 bond.

LAPD and Los Angeles Fire Department officials quickly put out the brush fire near the Griffith Observatory after it was reported, according to FOX 11 Los Angeles.

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A witness reportedly alerted the LAPD to a man who appeared to be homeless setting a fire in the area, but an LAPD spokesperson told Fox News Digital Caledron is not facing any arson charges. It is unclear exactly how Caledron’s vehicle-tampering charges are related to the fire.

The LAPD and LA County Sheriff’s Department have made dozens of arrests in evacuation zones since destructive wildfires erupted across the area earlier this month, killing 27 people so far. 

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Charges against those arrested amid the ongoing wildfires include arson, looting and price gouging, among other crimes.

“These are the people who are seeking to exploit this tragedy for their own benefit,” Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman said during a Monday press conference. “These are people who have engaged in looting and arson. We’ve also investigated price gouging and will be investigating internet scams and the like.”

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One such arson suspect, Jose Carranza-Escobar, was arrested last week. Escobar, who is homeless, is accused of attempting to light a large tree on fire that had fallen to the ground at Pioneer Park. He was seen “standing next to the flames” and was promptly detained, police said at the time of his arrest.  

The 27 people who have died in the California wildfires so far include 10 who lost their lives in the Palisades Fire and 17 who died in the Eaton Fire.

Fox News’ Louis Casiano contributed to this report.