In brief: Soap Lake standoff ends after man given e-cigarette, officials say
A standoff between police and an armed gunman in Soap Lake, Washington, ended Sunday after negotiators gave the suspect an e-cigarette.
Jason B. McIlwain, 32, was arrested on suspicion of being a felon in possession of a firearm and was lodged in the Grant County Jail. More charges are expected.
McIlwain had been sought by police after an early morning shooting nearby. He allegedly shot at two people he knew, but no one was injured, the Grant County Sheriff’s Office said.
Authorities later cornered McIlwain in a grove of trees near the Lakeview community. The Moses Lake Regional Tactical Response Team and crisis negotiators were called in, and McIlwain allegedly fired three shots from a handgun. Authorities alerted nearby residents to stay indoors.
A citizen helped police by flying a drone with a live video feed to provide information on McIlwain’s location and actions.
The suspect asked negotiators for a pack of cigarettes around 3:30 p.m. The request was denied because police feared McIlwain could start a wildfire in the tinder-dry brush. Instead, negotiators gave him an e-cigarette, and after smoking it he surrendered.
Deputies are still unraveling the circumstances leading up to the shooting.
Inland Northwest fires fill skies with smoke
Firefighters on Sunday continued to battle wildfires across the Inland Northwest. The blazes, which contributed to smoky skies around the region, included:
• The Long Lake fire, 16 miles northwest of Spokane: It was 80 percent contained Sunday after burning 432 acres and destroying one structure. It started late Friday afternoon near the 28000 block of West Long Lake Road and threatened about 16 residences. The cause remains under investigation.
• The I-90 Sprague fire, 3 miles south of Sprague, Washington: It has burned 600 acres of grass and was still uncontained Sunday. It started Saturday and also remains under investigation.
• The Baldy fire, 5 miles northwest of Ione, Washington: It has burned about 300 acres in heavy timber since Saturday afternoon. The uncontained blaze is on the south and east slopes of Baldy Mountain in the Colville National Forest, and it remains under investigation.
• The Eagle Springs fire, 11 miles north of Odessa, Washington: It has burned across 2,000 acres of grass and sagebrush, is uncontained and is under investigation.
• The Parker Ridge fire northwest of Bonners Ferry: Sparked by lightning Wednesday, it’s uncontained and has burned at least 76 acres.
Blazes burn in Central, Western Washington
LUCERNE, Wash. – A lightning-caused fire in Central Washington has burned more than 9 square miles near Lake Chelan, growing thousands of acres between Saturday and Sunday.
The Wolverine fire, which started Wednesday, is burning in timber about 3 miles northwest of Lucerne.
Fire officials said the blaze, which has grown rapidly over the weekend, has shut down parts of the Pacific Crest Trail and a number of campgrounds in the area.
Smoke and ash affected people on vacation near the popular lake and pilots have been told to avoid the area. Lightning started several other small fires in the area Saturday.
Fire officials said a wildfire in Mason County that has burned 13 structures, including five homes, is now 50 percent contained. The Washington Department of Natural Resources said crews on the Deckerville Road fire near Matlock are in mop-up mode.
Meanwhile, a couple of small brush fires in Pierce County briefly caused evacuations in the area Saturday when structures were threatened. Those fires are now nearing containment.