Firefighters catch second ‘arsonist’ in the act of starting new blazes in LA days after cops arrest illegal immigrant with a blowtorch

A man has been arrested after firefighters caught him “actively setting fires” in Los Angeles county, it has emerged.

Ruben Montes, 29, was arrested Sunday on arson charges in Irwindale, California, about 16 miles from Altadena, where the deadly Eaton Fire continues to rage.

Firefighters were responding to a small bushfire in Irwindale when they witnessed Montes breaking out in the area, police have confirmed.

He was arrested by officers at the scene and eventually arrested for arson.

Details about the incident are limited and police have not revealed where Montes was booked.

Police also did not reveal whether Montes was responsible for starting the forest fire or whether any of the fires he allegedly started caused damage. It’s also unclear if he has any ties to the other fires ravaging LA.

His arrest comes just days after an illegal immigrant was arrested for allegedly setting a fire in Calabasas, west of Beverly Hills.

LA County firefighters responded to a small brush fire near Rivergrade Road and the 605 Freeway around 12:30 a.m. Sunday.

While on scene, they witnessed Montes’ “suspect actively setting fires in the area,” police said.

“Responding Irwindale police officers were directed to the suspect, identified as Ruben Montes, a 29-year-old resident of Baldwin Park. He was detained and subsequently arrested for arson,” police added.

“We thank our partners at LACOFD for their quick actions and teamwork to help bring this dangerous situation under control.”

Officials could not say whether the wildfire had been extinguished, but photos shared by police show firefighters working to clear what appears to be an extinguished blaze.

Montes’ arrest comes just days later Mexican national Juan Manuel Sierra-Leyva was arrested by residents of Calabasas for allegedly setting fires in the area.

Sierra-Leyva was captured on video walking with a yellow blowtorch before he himself was confronted by residents in the area.

They held his arms behind his back and pushed him to the ground as they waited for police to arrive on the scene Kenneth Fire – which has now been curtailed.

A witness later said that Sierra-Leyva was “very focused on progress with the gas burner,” tellingly FOX 11 the suspect said, “I can’t stop. I can’t stop. I’m not putting this down. I’m doing this.’

Renata Grinshpun also recalled how the community “really worked together as a group.” She told me KTL: ‘Some gentlemen surrounded him and put him on his knees. They got some zip ties and some rope and we were able to make a citizen’s arrest.”

As an officer approached, the three men who intervened were seen pointing the suspect at the police officer, who then took the suspect into custody.

Police officers said at the time that the suspect was taken to the Topanga Police Station after being held for “approximately 20 to 30 minutes.”

Sources also told DailyMail.com that a resident called 911 around 4:30 PM Thursday to report a man was trying to start a fire on the 21700 block of Ybarra Road.

But officials later said they had no probable cause to arrest him on arson charges and instead arrested him for a probation violation.

“After the interview and additional investigative steps, looking at additional evidence that was present, they concluded that there was not enough probable cause to arrest this individual on arson or suspicion of arson,” said Dominic Choi, division chief of the LA police. according to the Daily Wire.

They said the investigation was “ongoing.” Sierra-Leyva is due back in court on Monday.

In the meantime, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials plan to file a detainer request in Sierra-Leyva, but they do not expect it to be honored due to California’s sanctuary law, Bill Melugin reports.

Yet the arrest request comes as three fires continue to burn across 100,000 acres in L.A.’s most affluent neighborhoods, wiping out A-list celebrity homes and restaurant hotspots among its 12,300 buildings.

After making some progress in battling the apocalyptic wildfires that have killed at least 24 people in the LA area, firefighters prepared for a return of dangerous winds that could fan the flames again.

Sixteen of the 24 deaths were attributed to the Eaton fire and eight to the Palisades fire, according to the Los Angeles County coroner’s office.

Twelve people were missing in the Eaton Fire zone and four were missing in the Palisades Fire, Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said. Investigators were trying to find out if some of the missing could be among the dead.

The toll could rise if cadaver dogs conducted systematic searches of leveled neighborhoods. Authorities set up a center where people could report the missing.

The National Weather Service issued a rare warning of an “extremely dangerous situation” Monday into Tuesday.

It forecast severe fire conditions through Wednesday, with sustained winds of up to 65 km/h and mountain gusts of up to 120 km/h.

The most dangerous day will be Tuesday, fire behavior analyst Dennis Burns warned at a community meeting Sunday evening.

The fierce Santa Ana winds are largely responsible for turning last week’s wildfires into infernos that leveled entire neighborhoods around the country’s second-largest city, where there has been no significant rainfall for more than eight months fallen.

In total, four fires have consumed more than 60 square miles, an area larger than San Francisco. The Eaton Fire near Pasadena and the Palisades Fire, in a wealthy enclave along the Pacific coast, alone accounted for 60 square miles. Each fire had some degree of containment, which increased over the weekend.

About 150,000 people in Los Angeles County remained under evacuation orders, while more than 700 residents took refuge in nine shelters.

Officials said it is unlikely that most orders in the Palisades area will be lifted before the red flag warnings expire Wednesday evening.