Possible Firebug Responsible For Six Separate Blazes Along Banks Of Columbia River In East Wenatchee

Police in the Wenatchee Valley are searching for suspects connected to a string of brushfires which they say appear to have been intentionally set along the banks of Columbia River on Thursday morning.

Wenatchee Valley Fire Department Chief Jon Perry tells KPQ News that his crews battled six separate fires near the Columbia in East Wenatchee just south of Sen. George Sellar Bridge at around 7:05 a.m.

Perry says the blazes burned about one to two acres before being stamped out by firefighters, whose responding numbers totaled nearly three dozen, along with 16 individual apparatus.

The fires caused heavy smoke and a high volume of emergency traffic on the State Route 28 bypass, which Perry says was closed for roughly 30 minutes.

Perry says he's certain the fires were human-caused and the East Wenatchee Police Department adds the fires are believed to have been the result of arson.

Police Chief Rick Johnson says one person was briefly detained shortly after the fires broke out, but was later released and is not considered a person of interest.

Investigators say they're now seeking other suspects who may have been involved in starting the fires and are asking people using the Apple Capital Loop Trail in the East Wenatchee area to remain especially vigilant and report even the slightest of suspicious activity they might notice to law enforcement.

No structures were damaged or destroyed in this morning's blazes and no injuries were reported.