ORONDO, Wash. — KIRO 7 is digging deeper into the deadly Chelan Hills fire and the investigation into those accused of setting it.
Investigators said the fire was started by a group of people driving around and setting off fireworks. Five people have been arrested, and investigators are still looking for a sixth.
New footage released by the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office now gives a clearer picture than ever before of what it took to track the suspects down.
Never-before-seen footage shows a pair of people posing in the back of a truck with Roman candles, shooting them off into the countryside. Multiple people are seen filming.
At one point, a person is heard warning that other cars are nearby, then saying he does not want to go to jail.
That was July 4. Over a month later, on August 13, body cam footage shows investigators tracking down one of the trucks driven during the incident.
The truck’s owner, Val Tabunscic, is seen speaking with investigators.
“Do you have a warrant?” he asked a pair of deputies.
We do,” a deputy responded. “We have a warrant for your house, we have a warrant for you, for your DNA, and we have a warrant for that truck.”
Investigators asked Tabunscic who was with him on July 4, and he responded that he didn’t know.
The deputies then told him they already knew everything.
“You were driving that truck that lit off the firework and started the fire, so you are complicit,” a deputy said. “Either you give up your friends, or you are going to go to jail.”
Tabunscic was arrested on charges of manslaughter, arson, malicious mischief, and six counts of assault. He is now out on bail.
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