Officials no longer believe fatal plane crash caused big Washington fire near Canadian border



SEATTLE (AP) — A spokesman for an interagency team fighting fires in Washington state says officials no longer believe a large wildfire near the Canadian border was caused by a fatal plane crash in the vicinity.

Jim Archambeault says the blaze that has burned about 7 square miles near Oroville, Washington, and a hundred acres in Canada has burned about 10 buildings, including residences. It is threatening about 660 homes and has forced more than 400 people to evacuate.

The cause of the fire that began Thursday afternoon just east of the Cascade Range is still under investigation, but Archambeault says it started a few hours after the plane crash.