A Los Angeles homeowner was left horrified after seeing a man playing with a tree outside his Hollywood mansion, before the suspected arsonist started a fire.
Los Angeles fires have razed neighborhoods and 40,600 acres have been burned in the past two weeks – but it appears a man has been caught on camera trying to start another fire in Hollywood.
Mission Impossible actor Ricco Ross woke up Monday to reports that someone had tried to start a fire with a palm tree in his Fuller Street neighborhood around 6:30 a.m.
“I woke up this morning and heard that two doors down, someone had set fire to a tree in an attempt to start a complete fire in West Hollywood,” he said. walking through his Melrose neighborhood.
“He drops a match here and then starts walking down the street,” he explained before telling his supporters that he was going to try to find the suspected arsonist.
Surveillance footage, shared by Ross, showed a man dressed in a light-colored hoodie stopping near a tree and appearing to throw something before calmly walking away.
As he walked away, sparks could be seen flying from the tree to the ground.
Smoke can be seen coming from the tree as firefighters spray it, a separate video showed.
Los Angeles fires destroyed neighborhoods as hundreds of acres were burned last week, but it appears a Neanderthal was caught in Hollywood trying to start another fire.
Surveillance footage, shared by Ricco Ross, showed a man dressed in a light-colored hoodie stopping near a tree and appearing to throw something before calmly walking away. As he walked away, sparks could be seen flying from the tree to the ground.
Ross revealed that a woman used her neighbor’s garden hose to contain the fire shortly after it started. She noticed the flames as she passed and contained the fire until firefighters arrived.
Ross revealed that a woman used her neighbor’s garden hose to contain the fire shortly after it started. She noticed the flames as she passed by and put the fire under control until firefighters arrived.
A white van parked next to the tree suffered heavy damage, with its entire passenger side completely burned.
It is unclear whether the man was apprehended. DailyMail.com has contacted authorities for comment.
The Palisades Fire, which started Jan. 7 and is only 43 percent contained, has caused massive destruction throughout Los Angeles, burning 23,700 acres.
The idyllic Palisades neighborhood has gone from a beloved celebrity haven to something that now resembles a smoldering apocalyptic hellscape.
Hundreds of luxurious multi-million dollar homes are now nothing but piles of rubble and ashes, with little trace of the precious family heirlooms and household items that once decorated the walls.
Properties that remain partially standing offer barely a glimpse of the glamor they once displayed. Instead of picturesque buildings with perfectly manicured lawns, properties depict horrific fires.
Mission Impossible actor Ricco Ross woke up Monday to reports that someone had tried to start a fire with a palm tree in his Fuller Street neighborhood around 6:30 a.m.
A white van parked next to the tree suffered heavy damage, with its entire passenger side completely burned.
Six fires have broken out in the greater Los Angeles area since the start of the month, killing at least 25 people and burning more than 14,445 homes and other structures (photo: Palisades fire debris)
The remains are covered in black soot and littered with debris, while previously green and vibrant trees and shrubs are burned.
Six fires have broken out in the greater Los Angeles area since the start of the month, killing at least 25 people and burning more than 14,445 homes and other structures.
Firefighters are still battling the Palisades Fire, which is the most destructive blaze in Los Angeles history.