Spokane County, WASH. — Six fires have broken out on the same property in west Spokane County near the Lincoln County line, over the past five days, leaving people living in the area frustrated and on edge as investigators work to determine the cause.
The fires have been burning on a property at the corner of Ben Apple Road and Tucker Prairie road, owned by Rhonda and William Canfield, who have lived there for more than two decades. The couple says the repeated fires have destroyed most of what they owned.
“I figure most of it is gone,” William Canfield said. “My man cave with all of my camping and hunting and fishing gear is gone. We still have a trailer to stay in.”
Rhonda Canfield added: “That’s all we have. I mean, everything is gone.”
People who gathered near the scene say they believe the fires were deliberately set by someone in the area. Neighbor Brittney Stewart said the situation has left many feeling helpless.
“It’s incredibly frustrating — almost a sense of hopelessness, just because we don’t know when the next one is going to happen, if it is going to happen again,” Stewart said. “Whoever is starting these fires, hopefully they go to jail and don’t come out for a very long time. Not only did they put the homeowners at risk, but everyone else in the neighborhood.”
The Washington State Department of Natural Resources confirmed it is actively investigating the fires but declined to confirm how they started. In a statement, the agency said it would work jointly with the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office and Spokane County Fire District 3. Firefighters had stopped the flames from spreading to neighboring properties by late afternoon Tuesday.
For many people, the sight of smoke carries a particular weight following the 2023 Gray Fire, which destroyed hundreds of homes in Medical Lake. Stewart said the recent fires have brought those memories back.
“After experiencing the Gray Fire, it’s a little bit of a PTSD moment,” she said. “We don’t want to go through that again.”
The investigation remains ongoing.
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