Trial begins for man accused of sparking Palisades Fire in California

Federal prosecutors in the United States have accused 29-year-old Jonathan Rinderknecht of deliberately starting the Palisades Fire, which grew into one of the most destructive in the history of Los Angeles, California.

Opening statements were presented on Wednesday in Rinderknecht’s federal trial, where he stands accused of destroying property by means of fire, committing arson affecting interstate commerce, and lighting timber aflame.

Rinderknecht has pleaded not guilty to starting the fire in January 2025.

While prosecutors portrayed him as an arsonist who premeditated his crime, defence lawyers argued there was no proof that he had ignited the blazes. If anything, they said, Rinderknecht had tried to stop them.

“When all the evidence is in, there will be one thing missing: proof that Jonathan Rinderknecht started that fire on January 1,” lawyer Steve Haney told jurors.

The Palisades Fire ultimately killed 12 people and left swaths of the coastline north of Los Angeles unrecognisable after sweeping through communities such as the Pacific Palisades.

If convicted, Rinderknecht would face at least five years in prison, with a maximum sentence of 45 years.

Prosecutors say that the Palisades Fire began on January 1, 2025, smouldering in root systems before flaring into a significant conflagration on January 7.