[2] At around 10:00 PM PST on Friday, May 14, 2021, the Palisades Fire was first reported on the 1800 block of North Michael Lane.

Mandatory evacuation orders were put in place for approximately 1,000 residents east of Topanga Canyon Boulevard, between the Community House and View Ridge Road, as well as north of Entrada, south of Oakwood Drive and east of Henry Ridge Motorway.

Within hours of this, the privately owned app Citizen, which is a mobile app that sends users location-based safety alerts in real time, sent out notifications to 860,000 Los Angeles users that included a photograph of a man, along with unsubstantiated claims that the man in question was the potential arsonist who caused the Palisades Fire.

[10] Soon after, the misinformed campaign to find the purported suspect spread online and many tips were brought forth to LAPD investigators.

The man was identified as Devin Hilton and was obtained for questioning by investigators, but he was soon ruled out as the suspected arsonist due to a substantial lack of evidence connecting him to the fire.

"[12][13] The company later admitted to the mistake stating, "We publicly posted the photo and offered a cash reward for information without formal coordination with the appropriate agencies.