Trailer likely cause of Silver Lake fire

Fire investigators have tabbed burning material from a vehicle as the likely cause of last week's Silver Lake fire that burned 345 acres of grass and timber land between Interstate 90 and Granite Lake Road three miles northwest of Cheney.

State Department of Natural Resources Northeast Region senior wildland fire investigator John McDonald said on Monday, Aug. 13, this definition ranges from carbon particles discharged in diesel exhaust to a dragging chain to parts coming off a vehicle. The Silver Lake fire was likely started by the latter.

"In this case, it was a wheel hub, a tire came off a...