The one that almost got away

A wayward campfire has been determined the cause of a wildland fire that sprang up quickly last Tuesday in south Cheney, threatening several businesses and scorching almost 30 acres of woodlands before being contained.

Cheney Fire Chief Tom Jenkins said once investigators from the Department of Natural Resources were able to get into the area, they uncovered evidence of a transient camp near the fire’s origin point west of the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad tracks and north of Mullinix Road. Two blackened metal car seat frames were found near a tree, while a car hood was nearby under an...