What sparked the destructive Tri-City wildfire remains a mystery

An investigation into the destructive 5,000-acre fire that destroyed homes and blackened south Kennewick and Finley this weekend has ended with no real answers.

Ron Fryer, a spokesman for the Southeast Washington Incident Management Team, said fire investigators found no conclusive evidence to show what ignited the dry grasses in the median between Bofer Canyon Road and Interstate 82 about 2:45 p.m. Saturday.

He said the officials spent all day Sunday looking for a source, such as cigarette butts, but have now closed the investigation.

The area of the fire in the Finley area of rural Benton County was fully contained about midnight Sunday, according to Benton County Fire District 1.

Fryer said all people are accounted for and have places to stay.

In all, five houses and several smaller sheds were destroyed by the flames, which were fanned Saturday by 20-25 mph wind gusts.

“They (citizens) need to be aware they might see some flare ups at least until the end of the week,” Fryer said.

Despite the fire being under control, the Mid-Columbia remains under an extreme fire danger, he said.

This story was originally published August 13, 2018 at 12:10 PM.