A Florida man has been arrested in connection with the Palisades Fire, the deadliest and most destructive blaze in Los Angeles history, which killed 12 people and caused an estimated $150 billion in damage earlier this year.

Authorities identified the suspect as Jonathan Rinderknecht, 29, alleging that he intentionally ignited the fire in the Pacific Palisades area on New Year’s Day. The blaze quickly spread across the hillside community, destroying more than 6,000 homes and buildings before it was contained.

“Today we are announcing the arrest of 29-year-old Jonathan Rinderknecht on a criminal complaint charging him with maliciously starting what became the Palisades Fire in January,” noted Acting U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli in an X post.

“The complaint alleges that Rinderknecht started a fire in Pacific Palisades on New Year’s Day — a blaze that eventually turned into one of the most destructive fires in Los Angeles history, causing death and widespread destruction. Among the evidence that was collected from his digital devices was an image he generated on ChatGPT depicting a burning city,” Essayli noted further.

The fire scorched nearly 23,000 acres. Fire crews spent more than three weeks trying to extinguish the blazes.

“While we cannot undo the damage and destruction that was done, we hope his arrest and the charges against him bring some measure of justice to the victims of this horrific tragedy,” Essayli added.