Tool was being used to fix irrigation pipe
The Cub Creek 2 Fire, which started on July 16 and burned more than 70,000 acres, was caused when a property owner used a propane torch to repair an irrigation pipe during hot, dry, windy conditions.
“Based on the fire pattern indicators observed, evidence located at the scene, and statements obtained, it was determined that the Cub Creek 2 wildfire was started when [property owner] Mr. Mike O’Connor utilized a hand-held propane torch to assist him in fixing his irrigation system and the flame from the torch came into contact with receptive fuels starting the large wildfire,” Washington Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Investigator Will Knowlton wrote in his investigation report dated Sept. 21.
“Mr. O’Connor’s use of an open flame during a time of Very High fire danger including high temperatures, low humidity and moderate winds was a substantial factor in the ignition and rapid spread of the Cub Creek 2 wildfire,” Knowlton wrote.
Knowlton noted that county and state burn bans were in place at the time, which, “prior to the ignition of this fire should have been considered before he used an open flame in an area with heavy receptive fuels,” he wrote.
The Methow Valley News obtained the investigation report and related documents and photos through a public records request.
The fire started near the intersection of West Chewuch Road and Cub Creek Road, about 5 miles north of Winthrop, at around 1:22 p.m. Okanogan County Fire District 6 arrived just minutes later, followed by U.S. Forest Service and DNR firefighters. Knowlton arrived at about 2:40 p.m. to investigate the origin and cause of the fire.
O’Connor provided a brief, voluntary written statement to Knowlton at about 3 p.m. on the afternoon of the fire start after Knowlton interviewed him. “While repairing an irrigation pipe — heating up poly pipe — fire erupted and wasn’t able to contain flames — fire took off like gasoline. Garden hose wasn’t enough to put it out,” O’Connor wrote.
O’Connor was the first to report the fire, according to dispatch reports. Cell phone screenshots with a log of the reports include an entry stating that the reporting party said he had been fixing an irrigation pipe near the creek. He didn’t have time to answer more questions because he needed to go back to fight the fire, according to the log.
Knowlton first spoke with O’Connor’s wife as she was returning from shopping. She said she hadn’t been home when the fire started and pointed out her husband, Knowlton wrote.
When Knowlton first met him, O’Connor was visibly tired and possibly overheated, Knowlton wrote. Knowlton brought him to the shade and provided water before asking if he had been at the property when the fire started.
“Mike replied that he was at the property with his son trying to fix his irrigation by the creek on their property. Mike stated he was attempting to fit a section of polypipe onto a metal fitting but was unable to do so. Mike stated that he was using a torch to heat up the polypipe in an attempt to make the polypipe stretch over the metal fitting,” Knowlton wrote.
“While doing this Mike stated that a fire started and quickly began to spread. Mike stated there was a garden hose attached to the pump and he tried to use the garden hose to suppress the flames but it spread too quickly and he had to leave the area,” Knowlton wrote.
O’Connor’s son is under 18 and wasn’t interviewed. O’Connor made no mention that his son had been using the torch, Knowlton wrote.
Firefighters called Aero Methow Rescue Service to check O’Connor for burns or other injuries. Aero Methow determined that he hadn’t been injured.
Before Knowlton arrived, DNR Fire Technician Antonio Menchaca flagged off a large area at the heel of the fire believed to contain the origin. Firefighters were not allowed into that area.
After speaking with O’Connor, Knowlton investigated the general origin area that had been blocked off. He observed charred areas, soot and ash, and signs of the direction of fire progression. “The large amount of dead leaves and grasses that accumulated over the years led to the ability of fire to reside for a significant amount of time compared to the normal fire environment of this area,” he wrote.
With intense heat and many trees on fire and falling, it was too hazardous to enter the area right away, Knowlton wrote. He took wind, temperature and humidity readings.
Once the area had cooled, Knowlton found a hand-held propane torch in plain view on the ground, and a pump with a plastic milk jug on top of it, Knowlton wrote. Knowlton photographed the items in place and collected them as evidence.
Near the propane torch, Knowlton found a ratchet, an eyeglass case, a razor blade, and a pair of shears, which he also collected. Knowlton confirmed with O’Connor that the items belonged to him.
Knowlton remained on scene at the heel of the fire until almost 1 a.m. to review documents and assist with ordering fire crews and other resources.
Because of the increasing size and complexity of the fire, DNR sent a senior investigator to assist Knowlton. Northeast Region Senior Fire Investigator John McDonald arrived on July 17, the following day. South Okanogan Fire Management Officer Daniel Montano, incident commander on the fire, also assisted with the investigation.
Montano ordered a high-level investigator “because I knew this fire had potential to be a multi-million dollar fire, due to what I was seeing on the ground in terms of resources committed, resources being ordered, structures threaten[ed], and fire behavior,” he wrote.
The fire had grown to more than 1,000 acres by 3:30 p.m., just two hours after it started, with extreme fire behavior and a well-established column. It threatened about 100 homes, Montano wrote in an incident narrative.
With strong winds starting spot fires, the fire had grown to more than 3,000 acres by 9 p.m. It had also become established in Boulder Creek, according to a log of fire activity.
Emergency responders began evacuating area residents right away. They also evacuated campgrounds and other areas in the Chewuch drainage toward Thirtymile.
In addition to local, state and federal firefighters, air tankers and other aircraft were dispatched the first afternoon.
O’Connor allowed the investigators to return on July 17. Knowlton located a melted piece of poly pipe that had protected a section of brush in the specific origin area. They traced the fire pattern from there to track the progression of the fire, he wrote.
In a supplemental report, investigator McDonald wrote that he observed a very distinct “V” pattern at the base of a slope near the general origin area when he arrived the next day. McDonald wrote that he concurred with the fire-pattern indicators Knowlton had observed.
After ascertaining that no one else had had access to the roped-off origin area, they completed their investigation at around 3 p.m. on July 17.
Based on the fire-pattern indicators, evidence, and verbal and written statements, “I determined that the Cub Creek 2 Fire was the result of flame impingement of flammable vegetation caused by heating of a plastic based irrigation pipe (polypipe) with a propane torch,” Knowlton wrote. Fire investigators evaluate nine potential causes, including lightning, smoking and arson. Without the presence of the propane torch, there were no other sources of ignition present to start the fire, he wrote.
O’Connor had questions regarding the fire and his liability, McDonald wrote. McDonald and Knowlton explained the process and recommended O’Connor contact his homeowner’s insurance company, McDonald wrote in his report.
DNR staff are sending the investigation report to the state Attorney General’s Office for review and assessment of the incident for a recommendation as to whether to move forward with cost recovery, according to the agency.
The final incident report on the Cub Creek 2 Fire from Oct. 1 put the size at 70,168 acres. Two houses, one vacant and one being remodeled; a yurt; and a travel trailer were burned on the first day of the fire. Fire suppression cost almost $27.8 million, according to the large-incident report from the National Fire Center dated Oct. 27.
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