A Department of Natural Resources helicopter assisted local firefighters in battling fires near Central Boulevard in Centralia Saturday afternoon.
A Riverside Fire Authority official estimated that 5 to 10 acres were burned in total. There was more than one fire.
The fires appear to have started along the railroad tracks that run along the Skookumchuck River near the Waunch Prarie before entering Centralia, where smoke was visible and the helicopter flew overhead through Saturday afternoon.
The DNR helicopter left the scene around 6:20 p.m.
An emergency responder at the scene said a suspect had been seen starting the fires, though The Chronicle couldn’t verify that information and it wasn’t clear as of around 6 p.m. whether that person had been arrested.
A man was booked into the Lewis County Jail on arson charges at about 5 p.m., according to the jail log.
This story will be updated.
