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Man accused of starting Palisades Fire moved from Florida jail

Jonathan Rinderknecht

SANFORD, Fla. — The Florida man accused of setting the deadly Palisades Fire in California is no longer in a Florida jail.

Jonathan Rinderknecht was moved from the Seminole County Jail on Tuesday, according to officials.

The jail would not confirm with Channel 9 where Rinderknecht is being moved to.

He was in federal custody in Sanford awaiting extradition to California to face charges related to the Palisades Fire.

He is accused of igniting that fire that killed 12 people, burned more than 23,000 acres, and destroyed or damaged nearly 7,000 structures.

“Geolocation data for the 911 calls showed that he was standing above the fire in a clearing nearly 30 feet from the blaze as it rapidly grew,” said Bill Essayli, Acting U.S. Attorney.

Investigators say Rinderknecht was living in the area at the time of the fire and moved to Melbourne afterward.

They have collected more than 13,000 pieces of evidence against him.

Channel 9 is working to gather more information and will provide updates on Eyewitness News.

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