Trial begins for man accused of sparking Palisades Fire in California

Federal prosecutors in the United States have accused 29-year-old Jonathan Rinderknecht of deliberately starting the Palisades Fire, which grew into one of the most destructive in the history of Los Angeles, California. Opening statements were presented on Wednesday in Rinderknecht's federal trial, where he stands accused of destroying property by means of fire, committing arson affecting interstate commerce, and lighting timber aflame. While prosecutors portrayed him as an arsonist who premeditated his crime, defence lawyers argued there was no proof that he had ignited the blazes. If anything, they said, Rinderknecht had tried to stop them. "When all the evidence is in, there will be one thing missing: proof that Jonathan Rinderknecht started that fire on January 1," lawyer Steve Haney told jurors.