Los Angeles, California - Authorities investigating a deadly fire that tore through an affluent Los Angeles suburb in January said Wednesday they had arrested a man who they believe purposely started the blaze.

Jonathan Rinderknecht (29) was taken into custody in Florida on suspicion of destruction of property by means of fire, Acting US Attorney Bill Essayli said.

"The complaint alleges that a single person's recklessness caused one of the worst fires Los Angeles has ever seen, resulting in death and widespread destruction in Pacific Palisades," he said.

Rinderknecht is alleged to have ignited the Palisades Fire in the early minutes of New Year's Day on a popular hiking trail above the suburb, home to celebrities and other well-heeled residents.

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The blaze was initially contained by firefighters, but smoldered in the root system of plants in the area.

Investigators believe it was reignited by powerful winds a week later.

Those flames grew to engulf Pacific Palisades and a swath of Malibu, destroying thousands of homes and killing dozens of people.

Essayli said Rinderknecht was working as an Uber driver in the area on New Year's Eve and had dropped passengers off moments before he ignited the blaze.

At a press conference, investigators showed AI-generated images that they allege the suspect had created in the weeks before the blaze, showing a cityscape on fire.

Kenny Cooper of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), one of the agencies that investigated the fire, said he could not speak to motive at this stage.

"I wish we could get into somebody's head, but we can't," he said.

"People do evil things for whatever reason. And I'm not going to speculate or go into anything of that, like we have evidence of that, that will be addressed in trial, but evil people do evil things."