Officials determine Red Apple fire was human-caused

The Red Apple fire near Wenatchee, which has burned more than 11,000 acres and prompted more than 1,500 evacuation notices, was human-caused, the Chelan County Sheriff’s Office announced on Friday.

The Sheriff’s Office said earlier this week detectives executed a search warrant at a home where they believed the blaze began — near the 3300 block of Red Apple Road between Monitor and Cashmere. But in a Friday statement, the agency said it determined they had the wrong residence after searching the property.

That investigation, however, led them to an adjacent property about 50 feet away, the Sheriff’s Office said. That home is now believed to be the origin of the fire, though it’s still unclear how it began.

The Sheriff’s Office didn’t immediately respond to a request for more details about the investigation, which is being aided by the state Department of Natural Resources and the Bureau of Land Management.

State resources mobilized Tuesday after the fire began shortly after 7 p.m. Some evacuations were lifted in part of Chelan County on Friday as crews made progress.

Despite winds, the fire showed little growth overnight Thursday. The fire was 10% contained as of Friday morning. Officials said they expect to provide another update Saturday.

Seattle Times staff reporter Daisy Zavala contributed to this story.