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LA Times Studios. Here are some of today's top stories from the Los Angeles Times.

Nine months after the most destructive blaze in L.A. history.

Federal authorities say they arrested the man who started the Palisades fire.

According to L.A. Times reporters, Jonathan Rindernecht, a 29-year-old Uber driver,

was arrested Wednesday in Florida, charged with igniting the blaze that tore through the Pacific

Palisades and Malibu in January, killing 12 people and leveling almost 7,000 structures.

Investigators say Rindernecht first started a small fire on New Year's Day near a popular

hiking trail in the Palisades.

Firefighters extinguished it, but days later it reignited and turned into a massive fire.

Investigators connected bits of digital evidence that traced back to Rinderneck.

Among them were AI-generated images of a burning city.

Prosecutors say Rindernecht drove to the area after his shift on New Year's Day, and

according to a set of passengers, he appeared agitated and angry.

But in the minutes after the flames sparked, he tried calling 911.

He didn't have service, so his calls never went through. But he asked to chat GPT if he'd be at fault for a fire caused by cigarettes.

Later, he even offered to help fight the flames as firefighters raced past him through the neighborhood.

Authorities describe the arrest as a step towards justice for those displaced by the fires.

And Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass called it a move toward closure for families still recovering.

Now the announcement raises questions about fire safety and why initial efforts on New Year's Day didn't stop the fire from rekindling.

And hundreds of National Guard troops from Texas arrived in Illinois Tuesday afternoon.

As President Trump follows through with his promise

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