Azusa police have arrested a 39-year-old homeless man on arson charges after arriving to find him standing just steps away from a brush fire in Pioneer Park.

Wednesday, 12:25 p.m. PST The Hughes Fire grew to 3,407 acres, according to Cal Fire, with evacuation orders extending to the community of Castaic and evacuation warnings stretching to the northernmost parts of Santa Clarita, which had an estimated population of 224,028 in 2023.

Officers in Azusa, California have arrested a man suspected of arson following a brush fire that broke out in Pioneer Park. As wildfires ravage Southern California, Azusa Police Department apprehended unhoused man Jose Carranza-Escobar on suspicion of igniting the fire at around 11:40pm on Friday as he was standing near the flames.

The Azusa Police Department this weekend arrested ... the man and took him into custody on suspicion of arson while Los Angeles County firefighters put out the brush fire. Landeros identified ...

Jose Carranza-Escobar was found standing next to the flames in Pioneer Park in Azusa, Calif., authorities said Saturday.

A man was arrested on suspicion of purposely starting a brush fire in Azusa, police announced. First responders were called to Pioneer Park shortly after 11:30 p.m. on Friday, according to the Azusa Police Department. There, a witness told officers the man who ignited the blaze was still at the scene.

According to Azusa police, a man who has admitted to setting a fire at a park has been arrested as the investigation continues.

Extreme drought expanded into parts of Los Angeles County as a dry start to the wet season continues. See this week’s California Drought Monitor report.

One man allegedly admitted to starting a brush fire in Azusa. The LA County Fire Department quickly put out the blaze.

More than 50,000 are under evacuation orders or warnings as a new wind-driven wildfire spreads in the mountains north of Los Angeles.

Reuters, the news and media division of Thomson Reuters, is the world’s largest multimedia news provider, reaching billions of people worldwide every day. Reuters provides business, financial, national and international news to professionals via desktop terminals, the world's media organizations, industry events and directly to consumers.

A second day of windy and dry conditions is in store for Southern California. Winds have picked up and are expected to continue through Tuesday morning, raising the risk of new wildfires sparking.