Douglas County Offers $25,000 Reward For Info Leading To Arrest In Chelan Hills Fire Case

A substantial reward is now being offered to anyone who provides information that leads to the capture of the person(s) responsible for causing the deadly Chelan Hills Fire in Douglas County over 4th of July Weekend.

On Thursday, officials with Douglas County announced they are offering $25,000 to any person who provides details which eventually lead to the identification, arrest, and conviction of the perpetrator(s).

The blaze sparked at around midnight on Independence Day and rapidly spread under a Red Flag Warning, killing one person who was attempting to evacuate inside their vehicle, while destroying at least 25 homes and dozens of outbuildings.

Several firefighters were also injured while battling the blaze, which is rumored to have been started by a group of people who may have been intentionally trying to start a fire by using fireworks from the back of a moving pickup truck on U.S. Highway 97 near the Beebe Bridge.

"We've seen those same reports," says Douglas County Sheriff Tyler Caille. "This is a criminal investigation and our investigators are working with fire investigators from the Washington State DNR (Department of Natural Resources). They are currently working to investigate the cause and origins of the fire, which originally started along Highway ninety-seven at mile marker two-thirty-three, which is in the area of Chelan Acres Road."

Caille adds that although investigators working the case have received some credible tips, he can't elaborate on the nature of that information at this time.

"I can't speak too much to the investigation or to what we've learned about the possible cause to this point because it is a criminal investigation due to the fact that we are now dealing with the loss of a life and that ramps up the potential charges against the person or people who are responsible for this tragic incident."

Those charges, according to Caille, could include manslaughter, as well as arson and reckless burning. He adds his agency has no intentions of ceasing its efforts to bring the parties who are responsible for the fire to justice.

"We are going to be extremely tenacious and dedicated to investigating this incident. We are going to do everything we can to help bring a level of closure to those who lost their homes and property or even their loved one during this incident. Our people are working twenty-four/seven on this and I've told them all to basically burn the midnight oil until we get this solved for our community."

Sheriff Caille says he intends on identifying and employing any and all resources that are necessary to bring a satisfactory conclusion to the case.

The Chelan Hills Fire follows a conflagration in Okanogan County (the Kartar Fire) that burned over 11,000 acres near Omak in June that officials say was also human-caused and likely the result of arson.

The Sleepy Hollow Fire in June, 2015 that destroyed 30 homes in an upscale neighborhood of Wenatchee was also the result of arson. Jeremy Kendall, now 48, served over two years in prison and was ordered to pay $10.6 million in restitution for the crime.