Person of interest in possible arson detained in Woodland Hills, near Kenneth fire

A person of interest was detained in Woodland Hills on a possible arson, but police did not say if it involved the nearby Kenneth fire.

Police responded around 4:30 p.m. to reports of an arson suspect in the 21700 block of Ybarra Road, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. A person of interest was taken into custody but had not been arrested as of Thursday evening.

The alleged arson was reported about 5 and a half miles from the approximate start of the Kenneth fire, near Victory Boulevard west of Gilmore Street in West Hills.

Residents in the area found the person and held him down until police arrived, KTLA reported.

Police said they couldn’t confirm reports on social media claiming alleged arson was the cause of the Kenneth fire, which began in West Hills and quickly spread into Ventura County.

As of Thursday night, the fire had grown to 960 acres, but officials said its forward progress was stopped.

The Los Angeles County Fire Department downgraded mandatory evacuation orders to evacuation warnings, and by Thursday evening, the fire was fully within the jurisdiction of Ventura County Fire Department, which also later lifted evacuation orders.