Three campers admit having campfire where 11,000-acre fire began along Snake River

Three people who started a campfire that may have sparked a large blaze in Whitman and Garfield counties are cooperating with investigators, the Whitman County Sheriff’s Office reported.

The three campers spent Monday night near Granite Point along the Snake River in Garfield County where investigators believe the fire started. They contacted law enforcement on Wednesday and admitted having the campfire, the sheriff’s office said in a news release. The fire was first reported on Tuesday.

Prosecutors from both counties will determine what charges will be appropriate, the news release said.

The fire jumped the Snake River and burned about 10,000 acres of brush and grass, said Megan Hill, a fire information officer sent to the fire from Spokane County Fire District 4.

“It’s steep, rocky and hard to work in,” Hill said.

No homes are threatened. About 250 firefighters are fighting the fire.