The LA DA announced two unrelated fire incidents in the wildfire threat
Two men have been charged in a deadly Los Angeles fire as authorities battle firefighters, looters and multiple blazes in Southern California.
The incidents took place in various 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 after she set fire to a stack of wooden pallets behind a shipping yard in Industry City Saturday afternoon. The fire spread to the tractor trailer and some surrounding bushes, according to authorities. If convicted, he could face up to seven years in prison.
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Firefighters work at the scene of an apartment building fire during the Eaton fire in the Altadena area of Los Angeles County, California, on January 8, 2025. (JOSH EDELSON/AFP via Getty Images)
Ruben Michael Montes, 27, of Irwindale, is being held on $400,000 bail for allegedly starting a fire on 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 who risked their lives,” District Attorney Nathan Hochman said in a statement. “Let this be a message to anyone who contemplates similar acts – you will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
In the year Firefighters battle the Palisades Fire burning Theater Palisades during a severe storm in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, California on January 8, 2025. (Apu Gomes/Getty Images)
He pointed out that the department has recently charged 10 other people with looting or arson and said that it will continue to strengthen its criminal activities.
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“The people of Los Angeles County are in unprecedented trouble as wildfires attack our communities, displace families, destroy homes and tragically take lives,” Hockman said.
“While first responders and residents are working tirelessly to save lives and property, we have zero tolerance for individuals who exploit this horrific disaster to commit arson or loot. My office continues to relentlessly pressure those who threaten the peace and security of our state.”
A helicopter makes a drop as smoke rises from the Palisades Fire in the Encino neighborhood on January 11, 2025 in Los Angeles, California, US. (Reuters/Daniel Dreyfuss)
On Tuesday, Hockman and District Attorney Todd Spitzer, of neighboring Orange County, said Gov. Gavin Newsom would make extortion more difficult.
Arson attacks have sparked the interest of law enforcement and average citizens.
Nathan Hockman at the Los Angeles District Attorney Candidates Forum at the Pacific Palms Resort before winning election to the office in November. (Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
Last week, “Chicago Fire” actor Brian J. Wyatt took the fight to the real world when he and a group of neighbors made a citizen’s arrest against an illegal immigrant after he and a group of neighbors paraded through their neighborhood with a wind torch.
And on Monday, Hockman’s office announced charges against a homeless man in Azusa after neighbors saw him lighting a brush fire in a park near his home. They verbally confronted him until a nearby Azusa police officer arrived and handcuffed him on the spot.
Azusa police arrested 39-year-old homeless arson suspect Jose Carranza-Escobar just blocks away from a small brush fire he said he believed was lit while fighting several large wildfires in Los Angeles. (Courtesy of Fox News Digital)
Azusa Capt. Rob Landeros said in a statement over the weekend that Azusa PD urges everyone to be vigilant as wildfires continue to break out across the county.
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The Palisades Fire engulfs a building on Sunset Boulevard amid a strong storm on January 8, 2025 in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. (Apu Gomes/Getty Images)
Firefighters quickly put out the fire, officials said.
In another unrelated fire, Jim McDonnell told a local ABC affiliate that one of the suspected arsonists “liked the smell of burning leaves” to police.
At least 24 people were killed in wildfires in Los Angeles last week, and the toll is expected to rise.
