Opening statements begin in trial for man accused of sparking the deadly Palisades Fire

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Opening statements began Wednesday in the federal arson trial for the man accused of sparking last year’s deadly Palisades Fire in and around Los Angeles.

Jonathan Rinderknecht, 29, has pleaded not guilty to starting what became one of the most destructive wildfires in California history.

Prosecutors say Rinderknecht started a fire on Jan. 1, 2025, and it burned undetected deep in root systems before flaring back up on Jan. 7.

The Palisades Fire ultimately killed 12 people and destroyed thousands of homes as it incinerated hillside neighborhoods in Pacific Palisades and the city of Malibu.

Rinderknecht faces at least five years in prison if convicted of charges that also include malicious destruction by means of a fire.

Lead defense attorney Steve Haney has said Rinderknecht is being made as a scapegoat for the Los Angeles Fire Department’s failure to fully extinguish the blaze.

Jury selection began Monday. The trial is likely to take about two weeks.

Judge Anne Hwang has ruled that the defense can’t introduce evidence or arguments about alleged negligence by the Los Angeles Fire Department, saying it was irrelevant and could confuse the jury.

Defense attorneys had planned to include testimony from a firefighter that the fire was visibly smoldering when first responders left before it reignited days later.

Haney has said he plans to argue that the government lacks solid evidence or witness testimony linking Rinderknecht to the Jan. 1 fire, and that first responders heard fireworks in the vicinity of where the blaze started.

Prosecutors say geolocation data from Rinderknecht’s phone shows he was in the area of the fire as it grew, and investigators later seized a barbecue lighter from his car that he admitted to having with him on the trail.

They will claim he was upset about a failed relationship as well as thwarted plans for New Year’s Eve, and that he ranted to his Uber passengers that evening about being angry at the world.