A Los Angeles federal judge declared a mistrial on Friday after a jury could not reach a verdict for a 30-year-old man charged with setting one of the most destructive fires in California history.

The man, Jonathan Rinderknecht, had hiked up a trail above Los Angeles on New Year’s Eve in 2024. A fire began in the area where he was hiking. Mr. Rinderknecht was accused of setting the blaze, known as the Lachman fire, which smoldered for a week and exploded into the deadly Palisades fire in January 2025. That fire killed 12 people and destroyed thousands of homes in and around the wealthy Pacific Palisades section of Los Angeles.

Mr. Rinderknecht’s mistrial represented a stunning blow to the thousands of residents seeking resolution and justice more than a year after losing their homes, and to one of the most sprawling and intensive arson investigations in the state’s history.

Mr. Rinderknecht started a small fire with a lighter as an act of “societal revenge,” Danbee Kim, an assistant U.S. attorney, said to jurors during closing arguments in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California.

But Mr. Rinderknecht’s lawyer, Steven Haney, argued that the fire had been sparked by New Year’s Eve fireworks.

“When you apply common sense to this case, serious questions remain,” Mr. Haney said.

Mr. Rinderknecht was facing three arson-related felony charges: one count of destruction of property using fire; one count of arson affecting property used in interstate commerce; and one count of timber set afire.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

Orlando Mayorquín contributed reporting.