Man Dressed as Firefighter Caught Robbing Victims' Homes as LA Burns

Los Angeles: As wildfires in Los Angeles rage on with firefighters working round the clock to douse the fire, a man has been arrested by the Los Angeles police for dressing up as a firefighter and robbing victims' homes.

LA Wildfires: Man Arrested for Impersonating a Firefighter and Robbing Victims' Homes

A shocking incident has been reported in the Malibu area as the wildfires in Los Angeles cause havoc where a man has been arrested for stealing from the burning home of the victims by posing as a firefighter to avoid getting caught. 

In a press conference, Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department Sheriff Robert Luna said, “When I was out there in the Malibu area, I saw a gentleman that looked like a firefighter. And I asked him if he was okay because he was sitting down. I didn't realise we had him in handcuffs. We are turning him over to LAPD because he was dressed like a fireman, and he was not. He just got caught burglarising a home. So those are issues that our front line deputies and police officers are dealing with.”

29 People Arrested So Far For Different Crimes

According to Sheriff Robert Luna, a total of 29 people have been arrested from the fire-stricken Los Angeles in the past day, for different crimes; while 25 arrests have been made from the Eaton Fire area, four others were arrested from near the Palisades Fire region. 

A few of the people out of the 29 were arrested for violating the 6:00 pm to 6:00 am local time curfew order which remains in effect from Sunday night into Monday. The curfew reads, “Unless you're a public safety personnel or some other disaster worker, you have no reason to be at these locations. And if you are in those areas, you will be subject to arrest. Enforcing a curfew is an important tool to keep the burn areas and evacuated properties secure, keeping looters out.”

Los Angeles Wildfires: 24 Dead, 16 Missing as Evacuation Continues

The wildfires in Los Angeles, that have charred over 12,000 structures including people's homes, continue to cause immense damage to life and property. Fuelled by the strong winds, the LA Wildfires have claimed lives of 24 people so far and at least 16 people remain missing.

Strong Winds Likely to Intensify Raging Fire, Red Flag Warning Issued

The National Weather Service warned that strong Santa Ana winds could soon return and issued red flag warnings for severe fire conditions through Wednesday. The winds have been largely blamed for turning the wildfires into infernos that levelled entire neighbourhoods around the city where there has been no significant rainfall in over eight months. The fires have destroyed several places of worship, including a mosque, a synagogue, a Catholic parish and a half-dozen Protestant churches.

Thousands remain evacuated or without power. The flames have threatened and burned through several highly populated neighbourhoods over the past week, including Pacific Palisades, Altadena and others. About 150,000 people were under evacuation orders with more than 700 taking refuge in nine shelters, officials said. The California Department of Education released a statement Wednesday saying 335 schools from Los Angeles, San Bernardino, Riverside, Ventura, and San Diego counties were closed. It was unclear how many would be closed Monday.

(Inputs from AP)