ATF Joins Effort To Locate Person(s) Responsible For Deadly Chelan Hills Fire, $30,000 Reward Now Being Offered

Federal investigators are offering added incentives to the public in the search for the person(s) responsible for starting a wildfire that killed one and destroyed scores of homes near Chelan Falls last month.

On Monday, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF) announced it is offering a $5,000 reward for information leading to the apprehension and prosecution of anyone responsible for igniting the Chelan Hills Fire.

The blaze sparked on the night of July 4 in Western Douglas County, where it quickly spread in gusty winds, torching over 10,000 acres and destroying over 100 structures.

One person who authorities believe was attempting to evacuate and became trapped by the flames was also found dead inside a vehicle in McNeill Canyon, where a bulk of the devastation was wrought.

After the fire broke out, rumors began spreading on social media that several people who were seen recklessly discharging fireworks from the back of a pickup truck on U.S. Highway 97, possibly with the intent of starting a fire, were the ones responsible for starting the deadly blaze.

Douglas County Sheriff Tyler Caille says although those accounts were also made directly to his agency by at least one person, it's still not exactly clear how the fire began.

Caille adds that the blaze was almost certainly human-caused, but despite a wealth of investigative efforts to date, no suspects have been identified.

ATF's contribution now brings the total reward money being offered to $30,000 when added to the $25,000 that was already being accorded by Douglas County.