Human cause suspected in destructive Washington state grass fire

[WorldNews]

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(Reuters) - Investigators suspect human activity, rather than lightning, sparked a grassland fire that has destroyed at least 29 homes near the eastern slopes of the Cascades in central Washington, officials said on Wednesday. The so-called Sleepy Hollow blaze, which has scorched nearly 3,000 acres since erupting Sunday on a drought-parched hillside west of the city of Wenatchee, continued to smolder as more than 300 firefighters gained ground on the flames. As of Wednesday, crews had carved containment lines around nearly half the blaze's perimeter and were conducting "mop-up" operations in areas where flames had been substantially subdued, said Josie Williams, a spokeswoman for the fire command.

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