Arsonist lit fire that’s burned 2 homes

THORP, Wash. – Amber Schlichting cried when she heard the news Saturday: Her family’s home was one of two houses destroyed in a wind-fanned wildfire that roared through a nearby canyon a day earlier.

To many, that wasn’t even the worst news delivered Saturday, as local officials announced the fire was the work of an elusive arsonist. The fire was the 11th blaze started by a firebug in central Washington’s Kittitas County in the past two months, but the first to destoy structures.

Two homes, including Schlichting’s, and a workshop were burned in the blaze.

The arson cases are draining local officials and residents, Kittitas County Undersheriff Clayton Myers said.

“It’s had a substantial impact on us. It’s stressing our resources. In fact, we’ve moved beyond what our resources can handle,” he said.

About 100 homes remained evacuated as a state incident management team took control of the firefighting effort Saturday morning. By evening, the fire was holding at about 600 acres, said Cindy Reichelt, an incident information officer. Fire officials did not have a containment estimate. More than 400 firefighters were assigned to the fire.

No injuries were reported.

A state of emergency was declared in Kittitas County. The Red Cross provided food and cots for evacuees at a local high school, where children played in the front yard and dogs sat tied in the shade of trees.

Helicopters dropped water and planes spread retardant to prevent the fire’s spread. Firefighters hoped to continue to channel the fire away from nearby timber, but they remained concerned about high winds, said Dave Johnson, incident commander for Washington state.

“There’s a lot of fire still in the trees. The concern is about the wind coming in and blowing that up,” he said. “Where the wind goes is where it’s going to take it.”

A day earlier, 25 mph winds pushed the fire through a canyon from its start near Interstate 90 between Cle Elum and Ellensburg. One home burned at the canyon’s edge, while another was the victim of a spot fire across a narrow dirt and gravel road.

Many homes had just barely been saved by firefighters, Myers said. At some houses, the fire lapped at the front door.

Schlichting, 20, and her family weren’t so lucky. She sobbed upon learning their mobile home of two months had burned, as boyfriend Alex Hoover cried quietly, his head on her shoulder. Their 20-month-old daughter, Ashley, sat on Hoover’s lap.

“I still just can’t believe it. They tell me everything’s gone. Nothing’s left,” Schlichting said later. “It doesn’t even feel like reality. It’s our first home.”

Firefighters gave them two minutes to get out, Schlichting said, which was only enough time to load their daughter, pets and photos of her late father in the car.

The fire started at about noon Friday. Myers said Saturday the blaze was believed to be linked to 10 other arsons this year. Another half-dozen arsons from last summer also remain unsolved.

All of the fires have similarities, Myers said. Most have been set in the afternoon, in areas with plenty of fuel, such as dry grass or timber, and near homes and highway access.

No one has claimed responsibility.

“We are investigating this fire as arson. We believe they are all linked,” Myers said.

The sheriff’s department offered a $10,000 reward for information in the case.

More than 900 firefighters continued taking on blazes in other parts of Central Washington. Better mapping and revised estimates showed the Pot Peak-Sisi Ridge complex of three fires west of Lake Chelan had burned 32,060 acres by Saturday evening, said Greg Thayer, a fire information officer. Earlier estimates showed the fire at 25,660 acres. It had burned two recreational buildings and was threatening the community of Stehekin, though fire officials said there was no imminent danger.

The lightning-caused Rattlesnake Peak fire 40 miles west of Yakima had burned about 373 acres, but was burning in heavy fuel in an area that had not burned for 60 years.

Elsewhere

Hundreds of firefighters from Eastern Canada and the United States are in British Columbia to help battle 345 wildfires burning across the province.

“We have crews that have come in from Ontario, Alberta, Saskatchewan and the U.S.,” said fire information officer Starr Munro. She said about 270 out-of-province personnel that include 100 U.S. Hot Shots, 103 wildland firefighters and four fire behavior specialists were assisting on the fires. An air tanker group from Alberta was also brought in.

The biggest concern is the Turner Lake-Lonsome Lake fire that had burned about 64 square miles by Saturday and was 35 percent contained.

Some of the 60 residents evacuated from the Charlotte Lake area were allowed to return to gather some belongings and water down their homes.

Fire information officer Donna McPherson said containment lines were secured in the area and crews managed to burn off some fuel that could have otherwise fed the fire and helped it spread.

No homes were directly threatened.