Los Angeles police said three people were charged with arson in separate incidents this week after they were caught lighting fires near where the massive, deadly blazes have torn through parts of Southern California.

Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell said the suspects, who were not identified, were not responsible for starting the infernos in the Pacific Palisades and Eaton that have claimed at least 25 lives since they ignited last week.

Authorities said one person was arrested Monday on Van Nuys Boulevard after the person was seen igniting a brush fire.

Officers raced to the area, arrested the suspect on arson charges and took the person to the Van Nuys Jail, Chief McDonnell said. Firefighters had put out the fire by the time police arrived.

Another suspect was arrested Monday when police said they received a call about a person setting a trash can on fire in West Los Angeles.

Authorities said witnesses directed officers to the suspect. Fire crews quickly extinguished the budding blaze.

On Sunday night, police said a person was caught using a BBQ lighter to ignite fires around North Hollywood.

Chief McDonnell said the person was arrested on an outstanding felony warrant for arson and was booked into the Van Nuys Jail.

At least five people total have been charged with arson since the wildfires broke out Jan. 7 in the Palisades.

The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office said Jose Gerardo Escobar, 39, was charged Friday after he was accused of lighting a large tree on fire in Pioneer Park in Azusa.

Mr. Escobar, who is thought to be homeless, could spend up to nine years in jail if convicted of the charge.

California parks authorities said a woman was charged with arson Jan. 8 after she was accused of starting a brush fire near Leo Carrillo State Park in Los Angeles County.

Gloria Lynn Mandich, 60, is being kept behind bars in Ventura County, police said.

An illegal immigrant from Mexico was tackled and held to the ground by wary citizens last week when he was observed with a blowtorch near where the Kenneth fire broke out.

Police took Juan Manuel Sierra into custody on a felony probation violation in the incident, but he was cleared on suspicion of arson charges after police said there wasn’t enough probable cause to link him to a crime.

The arson arrests come as police crack down on looters and others who are violating the evacuation order in the Palisades and Eaton fire zones.

The Los Angeles Police Department said it has handcuffed 14 people near the Palisades fire on charges ranging from burglary, shoplifting, driving under the influence and impersonating a firefighter.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said it has made 34 arrests in the past week, largely near the Eaton fire. Suspects have been charged with curfew violations and at least two were linked to flying a drone near the wildfire.

• Matt Delaney can be reached at mdelaney@washingtontimes.com.