Authorities arrested three people Thursday in connection with a Central Washington fire that burned through 15 square miles and left one person dead.
The three — an 18-year-old from Tacoma, a 19-year-old from University Place and a 19-year-old from Pacific — were taken into custody after an investigation led law enforcement to believe July's Chelan Hills fire was started by people shooting fireworks from a moving truck.
Michael Yakimov, 18, the first person to be arrested in connection with the fire, pleaded not guilty Thursday to first-degree manslaughter, first-degree arson, first-degree malicious mischief and six counts of third-degree assault, according to KING 5.
Those arrested Thursday were booked into Chelan County Regional Justice Center. They are under investigation for the same charges as Yakimov, according to the Chelan County jail registry.
The Seattle Times typically does not name suspects before they are charged.
The Chelan Hills fire, which started July 4 and was declared fully contained on July 10, killed Robert Lister, 69, and his two dogs as he tried to escape by car. Six firefighters suffered injuries from smoke inhalation and burns while fighting the blaze.
A cellphone video showed Yakimov in the bed of a white truck, firing a Trooper Turret, a cluster of eight Roman candles arranged in a circle to resemble a machine gun turret, at a passing vehicle, according to court records filed in Douglas County Superior Court.
Yakimov can be heard in the background saying, “Don’t tell them who was shooting,” before tossing fireworks from the truck bed onto the road.
Arrest warrants are still out for those who law enforcement believe were connected to the deadly wildfire, according to a news release from Douglas County Sheriff Tyler I. Caille.
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