A man has been arrested on suspicion of starting a new wildfire that erupted in Los Angeles on Thursday afternoon.

Residents in the West Hills region of the city detained a man who was later arrested by police in connection with the Kenneth Fire, which grew rapidly overnight.

Charles Dinsel, the senior lead officer, confirmed that a man was caught trying to start a fire. According to Fox News, he is a homeless man in his 30s.

The cause and reason behind the fire remains unclear, but officials said the Kenneth fire was “being investigated as a crime”.

By 11pm on Thursday, the fire had burned through more than 1,000 acres and had reached 35 per cent containment. Officials said the “forward progress” of the blaze had been stopped with firefighters battling it overnight.