Kenneth fire 'person of interest' is a convicted felon and illegal immigrant, ICE says

A “person of interest” in the Kenneth fire who was arrested after being caught with a blowtorch near the source of the fire has been arrested by immigration authorities for illegal entry from Mexico, officials said Tuesday.

Juan Manuel Sierra, 33, known as Juan Manuel Sierra-Leyva, was arrested last Thursday by the Los Angeles Police Department for violating probation after “attempting to put out a fire” in the West Hills area near where the Kenneth fire took place. He is a suspect in nearly 1,000 fires, according to law enforcement officials and documents reviewed by The Times.

US Immigration and Customs Enforcement placed an immigration detainer in Sierra on Saturday. He remains in the Los Angeles County Jail. The Sheriff's Department said it will take someone into custody if ICE has an arrest warrant.

Sierra has not been charged in connection with the Kenneth fire, but he was arrested by Los Angeles police after he was seen trying to put out the fire, according to a law enforcement email obtained by The Times. Video from a security camera appeared to show Sierra holding a flaming torch. Residents reported to the LAPD that he was trying to put out the fire and they detained him until the police arrived.

According to law enforcement sources, some residents chased Sierra after she allegedly “burned” old discarded Christmas trees.

Sierra was arrested last week on a probation violation but Ventura County Sheriff's Department Sgt. Monica Smith was identified as a “person of interest” in the Kenneth fire, which started Thursday afternoon near the Los Angeles and Ventura county lines and threatened homes in Calabasas and Hidden Hills.

Fanned by strong Santa Ana winds, the fire consumed more than 1,000 acres of brush and burned south through open land overlooking homes in the Malibu Canyon area north of the 101 freeway near Calabasas. But an array of water droplets helped to contain the fire, fire officials said.

ICE officials said Sierra is a Mexican national who entered the U.S. illegally on an unknown date and location without being checked by an immigration official.

According to ICE, Sierra “has had multiple encounters with law enforcement since November 2016 to present various charges and was convicted of assault with a deadly weapon Oct. 10, 2023, in Van Nuys.” He was charged with murder when he was arrested.

A man with the same birthday as Sierra has been arrested at least three times by Los Angeles police since 2023, according to LA County jail records.

Sierra has been under the supervision of the state Department of Probation since October 2023, stemming from his conviction for assault, according to Vicky Waters, the agency's communications director. He had pending violations for failing to report to his probation officer and violating the terms of his probation, he said. Sierra was last reported to the probation department in November 2024.