No Charges Filed Yet In Wenatchee Balsamroot Fire

There's no word on formal charges against a 16-year-old boy accused of starting the Balsamroot Fire in Wenatchee last Friday morning. 

"He came from an area where fireworks were seen," said Chelan County Sheriff's Chief of Special Operations Ryan Moody. 

Moody says the teenager was arrested in connection to the fire, although the incident is still under investigation.

The boy made an appearance in juvenile court Tuesday before being released. 

Deputies are asking for charges of 2nd Degree Reckless Burn, Resisting Arrest and Driving Without a License. 

Prosecutors say the boy could be charged for starting the fire once the investigation is complete. He currently only faces the Resisting Arrest and Driving Without a License infractions. 

The Balsamroot Fire started at about 3 am Wednesday in the 1800 block of Horselake Road. 

Officers and deputies spent the next couple of hours coordinating delivery of Level 3 and Level 2 evacuation notices to residents near the scene while the fire continued to spread. 

Wenatchee Valley Fire Chief Brian Brett said crews protected between 150 and 175 homes during the fire, which burned more than 250 acres. There was no damage and there were no injuries. 

The fire burned land adjacent to homes up against the Wenatchee foothills. At one point, there were 37 fire units on the scene. 

Massive progress was made to contain the fire by midday Friday. Firefighters were assisted by air support in putting the blaze out. 

That included two scooper planes from the Department of Natural Resources stationed at Pangborn Airport as well as a "Type 1 large helicopter" from Coulee City and a Type 3 small helicopter. 

The air quality that was initially poor in the Wenatchee Valley cleared out by Friday afternoon.