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John Shea leans into a gate, exhausted, as the wildfire consumes the grounds around a friend’s ranch in August, near Cle Elum. (Photo by Jordan Stead / The Seattle Times)

UPDATE: 11:20 a.m. | Construction workers who likely caused the Taylor Bridge Fire in August were working with a power saw and welding equipment at a time when a state regulation prohibited such activity due to fire risk, according to a state Department of Natural Resources report released Monday.

The wildfire destroyed 61 homes and hundreds of other structures and burned more 23,000 acres.

The investigation found the fire was caused by humans, most likely by a worker using a power saw to cut rebar and a second worker welding under the bridge, according to a Washington Department of Natural Resource investigation report released Monday

The fire began on a hot summer day. Due to the fire risk, a Level 3 fire precaution took affect at 1 p.m. that day, according to the report. Under that rule, welding and the use of power saws were both prohibited at the site.

Yet  the welding and power saw activity did continue after 1 p.m., according to Bryan Flint,  director of communications for the state Department of Natural Resources.  Flint said that activity was reported by witnesses at the construction site.

The fire was reported at 1:19 p.m. that day, according to the state Department of Natural Resources. The fire appeared to have started somewhere between 1 p.m. and the time the report came in, according to Flint.

Workers tried to extinguish the fire, but it was wind driven and got ahead of them, according to Flint.

The bridge work was a state Department of Transportation project. At  the time the fire began, employees for agency contractors and subcontractors were working on the bridge.

The State Department of Natural Resources is responsible for seeking the recovery of the estimated $11.1 million costs associated with putting out the fire.  DNR is working with the state Attorney General’s office to determine which the agency will try to recover the funds. That process begins with a letter of demand seeking payment, and is likely to trigger litigation.

The  $11.1 million costs do not include damage to or loss of private property or the impacts to public lands or facilities.

The construction company was warned it might be liable for the costs.

Associated Press

Full containment of a wildfire that has destroyed dozens of homes in central Washington has been pushed back to next week.

Fire management spokesman Glenn Kohler said Thursday that firefighters working to establish a strong containment line around the last stubborn area on the north side of the Taylor Bridge fire are dealing with rugged terrain and gusty winds. Officials had estimated they’d have full containment by Friday but have pushed that back to Aug. 29.

The fire east of Cle Elum is 91 percent contained. It has burned more than 36 square miles, or 23,500 acres, about 75 miles east of Seattle.

Property damage has been estimated at $8.3 million. Authorities have confirmed 51 homes and 26 outbuildings were destroyed and at least six other homes were damaged.

The fire started Aug. 13 near a bridge construction site, though the exact cause remains under investigation.

Fire fighters tackling the Taylor Bridge fire near Cle Elum  hope to fully contain the 23,252-acre blaze by Monday if the weather continues to cooperate.

Crews working overnight held fire lines on the fire’s northwest perimeter, said Jessica Payne, spokesman for the Taylor Bridge Fire Information Center. A mandatory evacuation notice, imposed on Saturday, remains in effect in the area west of Highway 97 and north of Highway 970.

“We had great progress overnight,” said Payne.

Potential thunderstorms forecast for overnight did not result in new lightning strikes. Northwest gusts of up to 25 miles per hour expected on Sunday are likely to push fire back into areas already contained, she said.

Containment is currently at about 43 percent, but Payne said fire managers have offered a “very optimistic forecast” for full containment by the end of Sunday. More cautiously, full containment is expected by Monday, weather permitting.

Residents can expect to see lots of smoke on Sunday as crews burn a 150-foot-wide strip to help with containment. ”We need to get word out to residents” that fresh smoke plumes do not indicate a worsening of the fire, Payne said.

The fire, apparently started Monday by state road crews, has destroyed 48 homes and 15 outbuildings, with a survey of damaged areas 60 percent completed. Nearly 1,000 personnel are involved in fire fighting efforts.

Donations are no longer needed at the fire camp, Payne said. For information about organizations helping fire victims, click here.

Weather:  Much cooler today than the last week, with lower highs than normal. Expect temperatures in the lows 60s to low 70s. This cooler weather should stick around through midweek when we might even see some showers. The National Weather Service forecast.

Traffic: No major accidents or closures to report at this time. The map and cams.

Man killed in Skyway on his birthday: A man who was celebrating his birthday with friends was found shot to death in a car early this morning, according to the King County Sheriff’s Office.

A man calling himself Henry Hemp exhaled at Hempfest Saturday, saying he has a medical marijuana card and is an advocate for legalization (Alan Berner / The Seattle Times).

Last day of Hempfest: Today is the last day of Hempfest, running from 11:30 a.m. to the closing ceremony at 8 p.m. If you want to witness the festivities from a safe distance, photographer Alan Berner has you covered in this gallery. In other pot news, tax enforcers have started auditing medical-marijuana dispensaries in the state.

Taylor Bridge Fire: Environmental reporter Craig Welch takes a good look at the wildfire that scorched 23,252 acres last week between Cle Elum and Ellensburg. The fire, he writes, offers a nasty glimpse of what fire experts fear may be increasingly common in the future.

Most-read stories this morning on seattletimes.com:

Weather:  Starting to cool down today, with the high around 80 degrees. Tomorrow should be in the lower to mid-70s. If you look way off into the long-term forecast, we could get some rain again next weekend. The National Weather Service forecast is here.

Traffic: The highways look wide open this morning. The Mariners play at 6:10 p.m., and Hempfest continues through 8 p.m. on the waterfront. The maps and cams are here.

Canadians at Costco: Some folks want to have Americans-only hours at the Burlington Costco, saying the huge number of Canadians crossing the border to shop has made the store too crowded. They’ve taken to Facebook to campaign, and city officials are doing damage control.

Taylor Bridge fire is still about one-third contained: Residents today will start going back to their homes to see whether they’re still standing and, if not, what might be salvageable.

From food trucks to food boats: Seattle has an on-the-water hot dog stand on Lake Union. You can tie up and eat.

Most-read stories this morning on seattletimes.com:

Most-read stories this morning on seattletimes.com:

1. Two Washington football players dismissed from team, two others injured
2. Gun violence shatters circle of young Seattle friends
3. Huskies hire Western Washington basketball coach Brad Jackson
4. Herb Alpert’s ‘Whipped Cream Lady’ now 76, living in Longview and looking back
5. Warning issued as temperature hits year’s high

Firefighters battling the Taylor Bridge wildfire discovered a spot fire on Friday afternoon after flames leaped over a fire line. It was the first time the line had been compromised since Tuesday.

The 10-acre spot fire crossed the line near Emerick Road on the fire’s northern boundary.

Firefighters discovered it about 1 p.m., and five helicopters are fighting it, with an air tanker on the way. “Right now it’s the priority,” said Randy Shepard, an incident-command spokesman.

Though there are houses near the fire, Shepard said, none of them have been affected.

The hotter, drier weather on Friday may have contributed to the fire’s spread, Shepard said. The National Weather Service has issued a Red Flag Warning for fire danger in the area as temperatures reaching 100 degrees on Friday. Lightning strikes are also possible on Saturday.

The Taylor Bridge fire, now in its fifth day, remains about 33 percent contained within fire lines that enclose an area of more than 22,000 acres. It has destroyed at least 70 homes to date.

U.S. Route 97, on the fire’s eastern flank, which had been closed to traffic for days, was briefly reopened at midday. But it was closed again around 2 p.m. after the spot fire was discovered.

 CLE ELLUM (AP) — Many of the residents who fled their homes in the Taylor Bridge wildfire are being allowed back into the evacuation area this morning,  not knowing what they’ll find.

 “Some people will find their homes there and others will find homes damaged or even lost,” said Mick Mueller, a spokesman at the fire command center. “It’s a big day for folks.”

 The residents are returning to the south and east sides of the 35-square mile burn zone.

 “The folks will have to be working among fellers dropping hazardous trees and utility crews working to get the power back on in there,” he said. “And firefighters are still working in there trying to put out hot spots.”

 About 900 firefighters with eight helicopters continue building a line around the fire, which is about a third contained.

Two public meetings are planned today to let wildfire victims know about resources available to help. They are at 4 this afternoon at the Cle Elum Roslyn High School and 7 this evening at the student recreation center at Central Washington University in Ellensburg. 

The Taylor Bridge Fire broke out Monday at a bridge construction project and exploded through dry grass, brush and trees to burn about 70 homes and 200 outbuildings on the east side of the Cascades. The fire burned on the north side of Interstate 90 about 75 miles east of Seattle. More than 400 people evacuated.

 Firefighters also made progress at a wildfire near Grand Coulee Dam that scorched about 12 square miles. It broke out Tuesday evening near the community of Elmer City and burned two outbuildings and threatened several homes. It was 70 percent contained by late Thursday, said Colville tribal spokeswoman Kathy Moses.

 The National Weather Service has issued a red flag warning for high wildfire danger in effect through Saturday night on the east side of the Cascades.  “We need to get as much progress as we can, given the red flag warning,” Mueller said. “We’re kind of on edge about that.”

 One firefighter was sent home to recover from minor facial burns from the Taylor Bridge fire, but no other injuries have been reported.

 If conditions remain relatively calm, firefighters hope to have the fire contained Sunday, although it may smoke and smolder for days longer.

The Associated Press

YAKIMA  – Fire crews are making progress in fighting a stubborn central Washington wildfire that has burned dozens of homes and forced hundreds of people to evacuate.

Fire spokesman Mark Grassel said the Taylor Bridge wildfire was 33 percent contained by late Thursday — up from 25 percent — and no homes have been lost in the last two days.  Some residents who had been forced to flee were allowed to return to their homes.

The fire has destroyed 70 homes and more than 200 outbuildings, burning across more than 35 square miles since Monday in terrain east of Cle Elum.

Grassel says nearly 1,000 firefighters are focusing efforts on the fire’s troublesome north flank, where the terrain is steep and rugged.

A new batch of firefighters prepares to head out to the Taylor Bridge wildfire on Wednesday evening. (Photo by Ken Lambert / The Seattle Times)

Firefighters working the 22,000-acre Taylor Bridge fire in Central Washington were “cautiously optimistic” as they faced another hot day trying to contain the fire.

“They had a really good night on the fire,” said Mark Grassel, a spokesman on the fire scene.

About 50 people were evacuated from the Lauderdale and Riverview neighborhoods at about 7 p.m. Wednesday, bringing the total number of evacuations to 500.

The fire is about 25 percent contained, with 900 firefighters trying to work toward two main objectives: keeping the fire from crossing Interstate 90 on the south and keeping the fire from crossing Highway 970 to the north, where stands of dead timber would provide dry fuel for the flames.

The firefighters were focused this morning on the Hidden Valley Road area on the fire’s northwest edge, Grassel said.

Fire officials have ordered residents of Lauderdale Junction to evacuate because of the Taylor Bridge wildfire near Highway 97 and State Route 970.

The fire has burned 22,600 acres so far and is 25 percent contained, according to Glenn Kohler, a spokesman for the Washington Incident Management Team 2.

Firefighters are about five to seven days away from fully containing the fire, Incident Commander Rex Reed told residents  gathered Wednesday for a meeting at Cle Elum Roslyn High School, according to the Daily Record.

A firefighter who suffered minor burns on his face is the only person injured so far, according to Kohler.