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WHITTIER (CNS) - A man has been arrested in connection with a fire in the Whittier area that scorched several acres of brush and damaged three homes, authorities said today.
The fire was first reported about 2:30 p.m. Thursday near Cinco View Drive and East Banyon Rim Drive, near according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department.
Fixed-wing aircraft and more than 200 firefighters were sent to battle the flames, which quickly engulfed one home, caused extensive damage to another next door and also damaged a third residence, the fire department reported.
A man was found on a hiking trail with a ``non-lethal'' burn injury and was taken to a hospital, the fire department reported. The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department began an investigation.
``Los Angeles Sheriff's Department Special Enforcement Bureau Arson Explosives Detail ... detectives have arrested a suspect, who was found in the canyon with burns, for the residential fires in the area of Banyan Rim Drive in Whittier,'' the LASD said in a statement on Friday afternoon.
``The suspect, who was arrested for arson, is a Whittier resident described as in his early 50s,'' the statement said. ``There are no further details at this time as the investigation is ongoing.'' The name of the suspect was not immediately released.
The fire was 100% contained by Thursday night, the fire department reported.