Authorities charge man over deadly wildfire that levelled LA neighbourhoods

An aerial view shows the devastation left by the Palisades Fire in the Pacific Palisades section of Los Angeles (Jae C Hong/AP)

A 29-year-old man charged with sparking the most destructive blaze in Los Angeles history likely used a lighter to start a fire on New Year’s Day that smouldered underground and reignited almost a week later, killing 12 people in a wealthy hillside neighbourhood, authorities said.

Law enforcement officials charged Jonathan Rinderknecht with lighting the January 1 fire that was extinguished by fire crews only to flare up days later during high winds, acting US attorney Bill Essayli said during a news conference.