A fire has broken out at the border of Los Angeles and Ventura counties and is spreading rapidly, threatening numerous hillside homes in the Calabasas and Hidden Hills areas.

UPDATE Jan. 9, 8:35 p.m. The Kenneth Fire that erupted Thursday afternoon on the border between Los Angeles and Ventura counties is reportedly being investigated as an arson case, with one person in custody. As of Thursday evening, the blaze has expanded to 960 acres, with no containment.

A mandatory evacuation order was issued for the area near Calabasas Officials expected the blaze to continue growing.

Firefighters are racing to contain a new wildfire that broke out close to homes in the area of Calabasas and Hidden Hills, northwest of Los Angeles, on Thursday afternoon.

This article has been updated and a video removed to clarify there were no arson charges. LOS ANGELES (KTLA) – A man who was detained by citizens shortly after a wildfire exploded near Calabasas and West Hills is not accused of starting the fire,

An arson suspect was arrested Thursday night near the Kenneth Fire area as fire crews continue battling flames burning near homes in Calabasas and West Hills. At around 4:30 p.m., Los Angeles police responded to reports of a man attempting to light a fire in the 21700 block of Ybarra Road in Woodland Hills.

The Kenneth fire burns in the Upper Las Virgenes Open Space Preserve on Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025, in West Hills, L.A. Credit - Brian van der Brug/Los Angeles Times— A man was arrested on suspicion of arson on Thursday afternoon in the Woodland Hills near the Kenneth Fire,