A man has been arrested on suspicion of setting a fire in Pacific Palisades in Los Angeles that killed 12 people and destroyed more than 6,000 homes in January.
US Justice Department officials announced at a press conference that 29-year-old Jonathan Rinderknecht had been detained.
They said evidence collected from his digital devices showed an image he generated on ChatGPT depicting a city in flames.
The fire broke out on Jan. 7 near a popular hiking trail overlooking the affluent waterfront neighborhood. The Eaton Fire, which broke out the same day in the Los Angeles area, killed 19 more people and destroyed about 9,400 structures, officials said. The cause of that fire remains unclear.
The suspect is believed to have started the fire in Pacific Palisades on New Year's Day. The flames burned underground for days before spreading above ground.
Rinderknecht was arrested in Florida on Tuesday and charged with destruction of property by fire, Acting U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli said at a press conference in Los Angeles.
"We hope that the arrest will provide a measure of justice to all those affected," Mr. Essayli said.
Rinderknecht is due to appear in court in Orlando, Florida, on Wednesday.