In brief: Two boys started fire in Kellogg, chief says

Two young boys started a 17-acre fire in Kellogg this week, officials announced Friday.

The boys, ages 9 and 10, were identified after residents reported seeing two children running from the scene of the blaze Wednesday.

The boys confessed to starting the fire while playing with matches on the hillside, Kellogg police Chief Dave Wuolle said.

The fire burned close to homes and the gondola at Silver Mountain Resort and caused great concern in the community, he said.

“It took the community to help solve this,” Wuolle said.

The state fire marshal and representatives from the U.S. Forest Service and the Idaho Department of Lands assisted in the investigation.

Police will send the case to the Shoshone County prosecutor’s office to determine if criminal charges are warranted.

Meghann M. Cuniff

Airborne device was source of blast

Spokane Valley police have found the remnants of what they’re calling an “improvised explosive device” that startled many residents on Wednesday night.

Police say that the device had a fuse and that it was lifted in the air by helium balloons.

It was recovered near Sprague Avenue and Robie Street, in the alley near the Spokane Valley Heritage Museum, Lt. Matt Lyons said.

The device detonated about 10:20 p.m. Wednesday, triggering reports by numerous residents of a loud noise and bright flash, according to a news release.

Officers initially couldn’t find the source of the explosion.

A museum worker reported finding the remnants of the device, Lyons said.

The device and balloons will be tested for fingerprints and other evidence, the news release said.

“While there was no anti-personnel component to the device, it could have caused injuries or a wildfire had it hit the ground before igniting,” the release said, adding that the device has no apparent connection to an attempted bombing on the route of the Martin Luther King Jr. march in downtown Spokane in January.

Addy Hatch