Another alleged Los Angeles firestarter was stopped by citizens after igniting brush in the Los Feliz neighborhood on Saturday, DailyMail.com can reveal.
A video filmed by author Paul Haddad showed locals confronting the man in a plaid shirt who lit a pile of dead leaves and twigs in a built-up area next to the LA River in the east part of the city.
It comes amid a string of deliberate fire-starting and suspected arson arrests during the past week.
The city is on a knife's edge after devastating wildfires, with continued high winds and drought leaving at least 24 dead and neighborhoods at high risk of any fires turning into unstoppable infernos.
'I was walking along the LA river around 10am when I came across a bunch of smoke,' Haddad told DailyMail.com.
'There was a guy who buried a bunch of leaves and twigs and lit a fire on the barricades along the bank.
'I confronted him. He seemed checked out. The gravity of the situation didn't seem to hit him.
'He was making a little campfire, but he didn't look homeless. It was like he was making a cup of coffee, it was very blasé.
Locals in the Los Feliz neighborhood confronted a man who was attempting to use a pile of dead leaves and twigs to start a fire along the Los Angeles river
A firefighter sprays water on a home burning in the Eaton Fire in Altadena, California on Wednesday, January 8
Paul Haddad who filmed the incident said another local confronted the man in the plaid shirt and used a water bottle to extinguish the flames
Hadded continued: 'I immediately called 911. They put me through to LAFD, but they had no interest in coming out. They told me "we're down on our resources, we can't come over there".'
Haddad said another local also spotted the fire and confronted the firestarter, using a water bottle to extinguish the flames while Haddad filmed.
'The man said he was cold. We told him, "but you have a jacket on". He just seemed inclined to light fires,' the author said.
'There seemed something genuinely mentally wrong with this guy. He was almost in a trance when making it.'
DailyMail.com also obtained a video of a fire truck putting out another fire in Santa Monica on Monday morning, near the celebrity enclave of Brentwood where the Palisades fire has been burning in the canyons.
A witness, who wished to remain anonymous, said firefighters on the scene suspected the blaze had been started by arson – though they were able to respond quickly and extinguish it.
And this incident is just one of many arsonists who have deliberately attempted to set fires throughout Los Angeles – including the now extinguished Kenneth fire which is being investigated.
Onlookers including Haddad said the man looked like he was in trance before he was stopped
Officials took Mexican national Juan Manuel Sierra-Leyva into custody but said they lacked probable cause to hold him on arson charges, and instead arrested him on a probation violation
A fire engine in Irwindale where firefighters witnessed Ruben Montes, 29, 'actively lighting fires' in the area
Ruben Montes, 29, was arrested for arson on Sunday in Irwindale, California, roughly 16 miles away from Altadena, where the deadly Eaton Fire continues to rage.
Firefighters were responding to a small brush fire in Irwindale when they witnessed Montes starting blazes in the area, police confirmed.
He was detained by officers at the scene and ultimately arrested for arson. Details surrounding the incident are limited and police have not revealed where Montes was booked.
Police have also not revealed if Montes was responsible for starting the brush fire or if any of the blazes that he allegedly lit have caused damage. It is also unclear if he has any ties to the other fires ravaging LA.
His arrest comes just days after an illegal immigrant was detained for allegedly setting a fire in Calabasas, west of Beverly Hills, on Friday.
Mexican national Juan Manuel Sierra-Leyva, was caught on video walking with a yellow blowtorch before he was confronted by residents.
They held his arms behind his back and pushed him to the ground as they waited for police to arrive on the scene near the Kenneth Fire – which has since been contained.
One witness later recounted that the suspect was 'very focused on moving forward with the blow torch', telling FOX 11 the suspect said: 'I can't stop. I can't stop. I'm not putting this down. I'm doing this.'
A homeless arson suspect was taken into custody near where one of the three Los Angeles wildfires broke out
Renata Grinshpun also recalled how the community 'really banded together as a group'. She told KTLA: 'A few gentlemen surrounded him and got him on his knees. They got some zip ties, a rope and we were able to do a citizen's arrest.'
Once an officer approached, the three men who intervened could be seen pointing out the suspect to the police officer, who proceeds to take the suspect into custody.
Police officers said at the time the suspect was taken to the Topanga police station after being restrained for 'about 20 to 30 minutes.'
The catastrophic Los Angeles fires have killed 24 people and burned more than 40,000 acres. Firefighters are currently working to contain three active blazes in the Los Angeles area and officials warn that Tuesday's forecasted 70mph wind gusts could cause 'explosive fire growth'.
Flames have forced some 150,000 people to evacuate and reduced whole neighborhoods to smoldering ruins, leveling the homes of the rich and famous and ordinary folk alike, and leaving an apocalyptic landscape.
The Palisades fire has been burning for six days straight and is only 13 percent contained with over 23,713 acres burned.
The Eaton and Hurst fire hit the five day mark and burned a combined 14,916 acres - but the Hurst fire is 95 percent contained while the Eaton blaze sits at 33 percent.
