The Hood River County, Ore., District Attorney’s Office has filed charges against the Vancouver 15-year-old suspected of starting the Eagle Creek Fire, according to a release sent out by the office Thursday.
Allegations against the teen, who has not been named, include reckless burning, depositing burning materials on forest lands, unlawful possession of fireworks, criminal mischief and recklessly endangering other persons.
The charging petition was filed by the Hood River County Juvenile Department at the direction of the Hood River County District Attorney John Sewell, according to the release.
The Eagle Creek Fire started Sept. 2 after the teen allegedly lit a firework in the area, and burned more than 48,000 acres in the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area south of Cascade Locks, Ore.
Although damage occurred in Hood River and Multnomah counties, Oregon’s juvenile code dictates that legal proceedings be commenced in the county where the illegal act originally occurred, which is Hood River County, according to the release.
