Investigators say it’s unlikely the cause will ever be determined of a Sunday brush fire believed to have started in a homeless camp near the confluence of the Yakima and Naches rivers that then crested the Selah Ridge.
“They disappeared,” Selah Fire Chief Gary Hanna said of those living in the camp. “I don’t even know who they are. It’s going to be difficult to solve.”
Firefighters believe the blaze, which was nearly 100 percent contained Monday afternoon, started north of Harlan Landing where homeless people often camp. It quickly spread north and south, engulfing about 500 acres as it moved up the hillside where it could have threatened homes near Lookout Point. Although there were no evacuations, residents of 75 to 100 homes on South Fourth, Fifth and Seventh streets and Lookout Point Drive were advised that the fire was in their area.