Washington wildfire caused by pyrotechnic, police seek tips
Oct 20, 2022, 6:24 AM | Updated: 6:53 am

Photo from the Washington State Department of Natural Resources
A wildfire in southwest Washington state that ballooned in size Sunday, causing regional air quality issues, may have been started by a firework or firearm, officials said.
The Nakia Creek Fire started Oct. 9 on Larch Mountain, northeast of Camas.
Clark County Fire Marshal Dan Young said this week that someone visiting Larch Mountain spotted smoke and got video on his cellphone, Oregon Public Broadcasting聽.
In the video, starts of smoke can be seen as well as two women, two men and a light-colored Subaru, and investigators would like to speak to those people, Young said.
鈥淲e鈥檙e not sure what they were doing; we鈥檙e calling it a pyrotechnic at this time,鈥 he said. 鈥淲e don鈥檛 know if it鈥檚 a firework or a firearm, or something like that.鈥
Since Sunday when the blaze spread quickly and caused ongoing evacuations, improved weather conditions have allowed firefighters to reduce the threat to nearby homes.
Officials said Wednesday the fire was the number one priority in the country because of its potential risk to life and the resources it will take to put it out, The Oregonian/OregonLive聽.
鈥淲e鈥檙e not out of the woods yet,鈥 said Dave Larson, deputy incident commander for the Oregon Department of Forestry, the agency that has taken charge of the firefighting.
Fire officials are feeling confident with rain expected Friday, Larson said.
It will be about finding a 鈥渟weet spot鈥 that takes advantage of the rain and keeps firefighters safe amid potential mudslides.
鈥淲e鈥檙e aware of that and making sure everyone is taking the proper precautions,鈥 Oregon Department of Forestry spokesperson Natalie Weber said.