Video Released by Sheriff Shows Fireworks 'Cannon' That Allegedly Started Washington Wildfire

Published 09/16/2026 at 8:55 p.m.
By Oregon Coast Beach Connection Staff

(Waterville, Washington) — Newly released video evidence by Douglas County Sheriff's Office in Washington has emerged following the arrest of an 18-year-old Kent man accused of igniting the deadly Chelan Hills Fire in early July.

Investigators say the footage, recorded just after midnight on July 4, shows fireworks being launched from the bed of a moving truck traveling along U.S. Highway 97 near Orondo. The display came from something akin to a fireworks cannon, and sent dozens of fiery projectiles toward another vehicle and into roadside grass.

Witnesses says the incendiaries sparked the fast-moving wildfire.

Michael Yakimov, 18, is alleged to be the person holding and firing the device. The Chelan Hills Fire killed one person, injured six firefighters and caused more than $6 million in damage.

The video was obtained by Oregon Coast Beach Connection through a public records request. Court documents describe the firework as a “Trooper Turret,” a cluster of Roman candles capable of releasing 240 aerial rounds in 46 seconds. Investigators found remnants of the device near the fire’s suspected ignition point. Witnesses reported seeing flames erupt in the dry grass moments after the fireworks were discharged.

Yakimov was arrested and transported to Douglas County, where he was booked into the Chelan County Regional Justice Center. He faces charges of first-degree manslaughter, first-degree arson, first-degree malicious mischief and six counts of third-degree assault.

Haze in Oregon this summer at dawn / Oregon Coast Beach Connection

The fire claimed the life of Washington resident Robert Lister, whose vehicle left the roadway during the evacuation and was overtaken by the flames.

Smoke from the wildfire was among those sources that flooded the Oregon coast and Washington coastline with smoke and haze, as well as the Portland and Willamette Valley areas.

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