Ex-Arsenal player's £3.3m home destroyed in LA wildfires as 'man arrested' in connection with starting one fire

A former Arsenal player has seen his £3.3 million home be destroyed by wildfires that are currently raging through Los Angeles, California.

Forward Carlos Vela came through Arsenal's youth academy and made 29 Premier League appearances for Arsene Wenger's side between 2005 and 2012, scoring three goals.

He had been seen as a bright prospect but left the Gunners to join La Liga side Real Sociedad.

There, he became one of the most prolific forwards in Spanish football, before leaving to join new MLS franchise LAFC in 2018.

The now 35-year-old has played there ever since, and has resided in Malibu along with his wife, Saioa Canibano, and their three children.

Image: Instagram/@saioaa

But his wife took to her Instagram page on Thursday to reveal that their house, which is valued at $4 million, was burnt down by the wildfire that is currently raging through the Los Angeles suburb of Palisades.

There are currently a total of five fires burning in the LA area, with fire crews working desperately to contain them. As of Friday morning US time, only one fire was yet to be contained at all.

There are believed to be concerns that expected high winds could escalate the situation further, with parts of California having been subjected to a severe storm earlier this week.

A man has been arrested on suspicion of starting one of the fires, referred to as 'Kenneth', which is currently impacting parts of LA and Ventura counties.

American media outlets are reporting that the man, who police confirmed was caught trying to start a fire, was found with a 'large propane tank or flamethrower' before he was tied up by residents in the area.

A view of the Eaton wildfire in Los Angeles, California (Image: Getty)

An LAPD officer told media on Friday morning: "What we know right now is that the incident occurred here and about 20-30 minutes later, a suspect was detained by citizens.

"At this time, that's what we believe [that the fire was started deliberately]. It's being investigated as a crime."

The Kenneth fire is currently burning to the north-west of the Palisades fire, which has reportedly burnt through nearly 20,000 acres in the Pacific Palisades in Malibu.

A number of high-profile Hollywood stars, including Paris Hilton, Mel Gibson and Billy Crystal, have announced that their homes are among the over 2,000 structures that have been burnt down as a result of the wildfires.