OKANOGAN CO., Wash. — A large fire burning in Okanogan County is forcing residents to evacuate their homes.
The fire has consumed over 3,500 acres and has spread into Canada. Close to a dozen buildings have burned, and Oroville residents have been ordered to evacuate.
The blaze is the result of several fires burning together. Fires say one of those fires started when a small plane crashed in Oroville Thursday.
The Okanogan County Sheriff's Office says it found the wreckage of a small aircraft with at least one person dead, according to the Associated Press.
Sheriff Frank Rogers says the wreckage was discovered Thursday in the Oroville area in north-central Washington as crews responded to new wildfires in the area. Oroville is a small town near the Canadian border.
Rogers says the body of only one person was found with the airplane.
Officials do not know where the plane was headed or the identity of the pilot.
Communications are tough in the mountainous area and no other details were immediately available.
Ian Gregor of the Federal Aviation Administration says that agency and the National Transportation Safety Board will investigate.
KIRO
