VIDEO/PHOTOS: The man accused of starting the deadly Chelan Hills wildfire this summer will stay behind bars, for now, on a $1 million bond. The Douglas County sheriff claims 18-year-old Michael Yakimov tossed fireworks out of a truck to spark the blaze, and he believes there are other suspects still missing.

The devastation is still visible from McNeil Canyon Road as families are rebuilding and recovering. The sheriff said that while this wasn’t the largest wildfire in the county’s history, it was the most destructive, and his agency is working to bring those responsible to justice.

Yakimov had few words for a Douglas County Superior Court judge on Thursday, nearly two months after prosecutors claim he started the devastating wildfire that killed one man, forced evacuations, and destroyed 19 homes, vehicles, and utilities.

“It appears that this defendant is hoping nobody would realize who he was or where he was, and he’d be able to fly under the radar, so the state does not have a lot of confidence in his ability to come back to court,” the prosecutor told the judge at Yakimov’s first appearance.

KOMO-TV ABC 4 Seattle

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VIDEO: A fire tore through a longtime Auburn floral shop and the home above it, leaving a couple displaced and a family business reduced to ash. The Aug. 22 fire destroyed the property on First Street, about a block from Washington Elementary School. Paxton Reunanen and his girlfriend lived upstairs, while Alice Octavia Floral Shop — a longtime business owned by Reunanen’s grandmother — operated on the main floor.

Firefighters said the fire began in a shed or garage behind the property and quickly spread to the home. The home was a total loss. A neighbor captured video of the fire as it spread across the property. In the days afterward, charred debris and extensive damage remained at the site. Investigators are still working to determine the cause of the fire, but do not believe it was suspicious.

KING-TV NBC 5 Seattle

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VIDEO: Three female firefighters from Mason County deployed last month to battle the Little Giant Fire near Lake Chelan in Eastern Washington, spending 15 days protecting homes as part of a strike team. They say they were welcomed by their male colleagues despite being part of a less common all-women crew in the male-dominated field of firefighting.

The Little Giant Fire started in July, destroyed dozens of homes and cabins, and remains 50% contained. Firefighter-EMT Charlotte Smith, who was part of the strike team, was glad to have a brush truck as she and two volunteers from West Mason County District 16 worked to protect the community.

Women make up less than 10% of fire departments across the country, but Smith said her team faced no resistance because of their gender. “We do the same job as them. We’re expected to pass the same test, do the same work, and they’re all extremely welcoming. I know that may not be the case for every woman in the fire service and hopefully that’ll change in the future, but my team specifically, we had a good experience,” Smith said.

KING-TV NBC 5 Seattle

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