A 29-year-old man has been charged with starting the fire that erupted into the most destructive blaze in Los Angeles history and destroyed much of the wealthy Pacific Palisades neighbourhood.

Jonathan Rinderknecht is accused of sparking the blaze on New Year’s Day that eventually killed 12 people and destroyed 6000 homes.

US Attorney Bill Essayli said Rinderknecht‘s ChatGPT history helped lead to his arrest.

Five months before he allegedly sparked the blaze, Rinderknecht asked ChatGPT to create an image of a burning forest and crowds running away from a fire.

“In the middle [of the painting], hundreds of thousands of people in poverty are trying to get past a gigantic gate with a big dollar sign on it,” he prompted ChatGPT.

“On the other side of the gate and the entire wall is a conglomerate of the richest people.

“They are chilling, watching the world burn down, and watching the people struggle. They are laughing, enjoying themselves, and dancing.”

Rinderknecht faces charges including malicious destruction by means of a fire.

Essayli said he fled the scene of the original fire, but returned to the same trail to watch it burn.

“He left as soon as he saw the fire trucks were headed to the location. He turned around and went back up there. And he took some video and and watched them fight the fire,” he said.

Rinderknecht also made several emergency calls to report the fire, according to a criminal complaint.

During an interview on January 24, Rinderknecht told investigators where the fire began, information not yet public and that he would not have known if he hadn’t witnessed it, the complaint said.

He lied about his location, claiming he was near the bottom of the hiking trail, Essayli said.

Rinderknecht was visibly anxious during that interview, according to the complaint.

His efforts to call the emergency service hotline and his question to ChatGPT about a cigarette lighting a fire indicated he “wanted to preserve evidence of himself trying to assist in the suppression of the fire and he wanted to create evidence regarding a more innocent explanation for the cause of the fire”, the complaint said.

Investigators determined the January 1 fire was intentionally lit, likely by a lighter taken to vegetation or paper, according to the criminal complaint. They excluded other possibilities, including fireworks, lightning and downed power lines.

Authorities also looked into whether a cigarette may have caused the fire, but concluded that it was not the cause, the complaint says.

Investigators found a “barbecue-style” lighter in the glove box of Rinderknecht’s car on January 24. It appeared to be the same lighter as one in his apartment on December 31, based on a photo on his phone.

He admitted to taking a lighter with him when he walked up the hill.

The blaze killed 12 people and destroyed more than 6000 homes and buildings in the Pacific Palisades, a wealthy coastal neighbourhood of Los Angeles. It ripped through hillside neighbourhoods, destroying mansions with spectacular views of the ocean and downtown LA.

Investigators still haven’t determined the cause of a second blaze called the Eaton Fire, which broke out the same day in the community of Altadena and killed 18 people.

Both fires burned for days, reducing block after block of entire LA neighbourhoods to grey and black debris.

An outside review released in September found that a lack of resources and outdated policies for sending emergency alerts led to delayed evacuation warnings.

The report commissioned by Los Angeles County supervisors said a series of weaknesses, including “outdated policies, inconsistent practices and communications vulnerabilities,” hampered the response.

-with AAP