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Authorities have arrested 29-year-old Jonathan Rinderknecht, accusing him of purposefully igniting a New Year’s Day fire that smoldered for days and later exploded into the deadly Palisades Fire that devastated California.

Rinderknecht, 29, of Melbourne, Florida, was arrested Tuesday on a federal charge of destruction of property by means of fire, Acting United States Attorney Bill Essayli announced during a Wednesday morning news conference. He was due to make his initial appearance in federal court in Florida on Wednesday.

"The complaint alleges that a single person’s recklessness caused one of the worst fires Los Angeles has ever seen, resulting in death and widespread destruction in Pacific Palisades," Essayli said. "

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