SPOKANE COUNTY, Wash. — Spokane County Fire District 9 is clarifying information on the Upriver Fire, following comments made during a public meeting.
During a Spokane County Commissioner board briefing Tuesday, Deputy Director of Spokane County Emergency Management Chandra Fox said “the final count (of homes lost in the Upriver Fire) was 14 primary homes, one of which was vacant. That was the ignition point of the fire itself, so there was either a squatter or someone in that structure who should not have been.”
On Tuesday, Fire District 9 said the investigation into the cause of the fire is still being conducted and nothing has been confirmed at this time. Once that investigation is complete, Fire District 9 says it will release those findings to the public.
“We understand the community wants answers, especially those who were directly impacted by this fire,” said Chief Vinci. “Our investigators are working diligently to determine exactly what occurred. We are committed to a thorough and fact-based investigation, and when information is confirmed, Spokane County Fire District 9 will provide those findings directly to our community.”
When 4 News Now asked Fox about the statements, she told a reporter “The comments that I made during the BOCC meeting on Tuesday were entirely speculative on my part. And unfortunately, and rather inappropriately, I was being a little bit flippant.”
Fox says that emergency management does not play an actual role in the investigation into the fire’s cause, so she’s asking that people defer to Fire District 9.
Fire District 9 says they can confirm the fire started at a house, but they can’t say where that house was or how the fire started there.
Fire District 9 is the lead agency responsible for the investigation. As of the last update, the Upriver Fire was 213 acres with 85% containment.
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