Man charged for starting McConihe Flats fire

EPHRATA - A 25-year-old Renton man is accused of starting the

July 4 wildland fire near Moses Lake, which destroyed several

buildings and vehicles.

Prosecutors charged Ryan L. Altona with reckless burning in the

second degree in Grant County Superior Court.

EPHRATA - A 25-year-old Renton man is accused of starting the July 4 wildland fire near Moses Lake, which destroyed several buildings and vehicles.

Prosecutors charged Ryan L. Altona with reckless burning in the second degree in Grant County Superior Court.

He allegedly started the fire with a bottle rocket.

Witnesses reported seeing fireworks being shot off from a Stonecrest Drive residence a couple of days before the fire, according to a Grant County fire marshal report. On the day of the fire, area residents stated they heard a large bang and saw the fire start near the residence Altona was staying at with his girlfriend.

One of the witnesses told the investigator she spoke with Altona about 40 minutes after the fire started, and found Altona and his girlfriend barbecuing, according to the fire marshal report.

"(The witness) asked if they had been lighting off fireworks before the fire," according to fire marshal report. "The male individual answered that they had lit a bottle rocket that landed in the grass next to the driveway that started the fire."

The fire burned between 1,200 and 1,400 acres and destroyed a home, a shop, an outbuilding and multiple vehicles in the area of McConihe Flats. People were evacuated from about 50 homes north and west of Road D.5 Northeast and Road 7.8 Northeast.

The fire was driven by 25-mph winds with gusts of up to 50 mph.

Altona allegedly admitted to firing bottle rockets that day, telling the investigator he saw the fire start next to the driveway.

"Ryan (reportedly) said before he was able to get a hose to put the fire out, the fire had moved towards the neighbor's house to the south and east toward Stonecrest Road," according to the report.