SPOKANE, Wash – A fire that burned at least 15 homes in Spokane County Tuesday was caused by humans, but fire investigators have not specifically released what started it.
DNR’s website that tracks fires in Washington shows the Upriver Fire has burned 222 acres. That’s the equivalent of about 100 city blocks.
The fire started Tuesday afternoon in a wooded area across the Spokane River from Felts Field. High winds carried the flames through trees and into a neighborhood.
Thousands of homes were evacuated and most of those people still can’t return home as of Wednesday afternoon.
DNR’s fire dashboard lists the fire as human caused, but that doesn’t mean it was intentionally set. Human causes can include everything from discarded cigarette butts to campfires and malfunctioning equipment.
U.S. Forest Service data shows 85 percent of all wildland fires in the U.S. are caused by humans.
The Upriver Fire is one of 15 wildland fires burning in Washington right now.
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