A person of interest has been detained in connection with a series of suspected arson fires that have shaken Los Angeles, Fox News confirms.

L.A. Fire Department spokesman Erik Scott said the person is a male and was detained within the last hour.

“We have a person of interest that has been detained and is being questioned,” Scott said. “It is too early to determine if the person is responsible for the string of arson fires.”

The announcement comes after as many as eight new fires broke out early Monday.

Officials did not say if they believe that the person in custody is the same man caught on grainy surveillance video near the scene of one of the dozens of fires.

Police distributed DVDs on Sunday featuring footage of that man, who they called a person of interest.

He is a white man between 20 and 30 years old with a receding hairline and a shoulder-length ponytail.

The man was seen on video Saturday after emerging on foot from inside an underground parking structure on Hollywood Boulevard where a car fire was reported.

Faden said investigators are asking for the public’s help in identifying the man.

The outbreak of arson fires has left a trail of smoldering debris in Hollywood, West Hollywood, North Hollywood and the Fairfax district of Los Angeles since Thursday.

Authorities said they were investigating more than 40 suspicious fires. Most of those fires were set in parked cars. In several cases, flames have jumped to carports and apartment units.

A reward of $60,000 has been offered for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the arsonist.

Detectives served a search warrant at a home in the San Fernando Valley, Det. Gus Villanueva said Sunday. Several interviews were conducted, but no arrests were made.

Authorities haven’t said how the car fires were sparked or what was collected at the crime scenes. They were unsure if the rash of fires were the work of one arsonist or multiple people or copycats.

There have been no injuries.

Firefighters routinely are called to put out burning cars, but this recent spate has been unusual because of the frequency and location of the fires. Police urged residents to check their cars for any signs of tampering and take simple precautions such as locking their cars, keeping garage and carport lights on at night and reporting suspicious activity.

(Source: Fox News)