2 homes damaged in Friday night fire

Two homes were damaged in a Friday night fire in Wenatchee, including one that completely collapsed.

The Wenatchee Valley Fire Department responded to a call of a house fire at 11:11 p.m. to the 400 block of S. Chelan Ave, in Wenatchee, according to Chief Brian Brett. He said that upon arrival, the crews discovered a fully engulfed boarded-up residential property.

"Fire was coming from the roof and throughout the entire structure," he said in an email Saturday.

Due to proximity, a second home with two occupants and a cat also caught fire. Both occupants exited the house before the fire reached their home and before the fire department's arrival.

Initial crews quickly controlled the fire that spread to the second home, while additional crews were requested with a second alarm to assist with on-scene efforts.

The main fire building experienced a roof collapse about 3.5 minutes after the first crew arrived, preventing firefighters from safely entering the structure. A short time later, most of the exterior walls also collapsed.

Brett said a natural gas leak occurred after part of the building fell onto a previous service line, requiring a response from Cascade Natural Gas. Heavy equipment was later used to separate collapsed debris so crews could extinguish hot spots. Firefighters remained on scene until about 4:15 a.m.

The American Red Cross is assisting the two adults displaced from the second home.

There were no reports of occupants inside the main building, though witnesses had previously observed transient activity at the location, according to Brett.

No injuries to residents or firefighters were reported.

Brett said investigators are still working to determine the cause of the fire, but noted that recent fires involving vacant homes have raised concerns.

"When you have fires in these homes, there's no really known source of ignition," Brett said in an interview Sunday. "They're unoccupied. There's no electricity to the home, so what are the possible ignition sources?"

Brett said investigators are considering whether people may have entered the homes without authorization, though it remains unclear whether any fires were intentionally set.

"Did they go in there with the intent to burn it down, or were they just doing something stupid and caught the place on fire?" he said.

Brett said it is too early to determine whether the recent fires are connected or involve the same person.

"We have so many transient people in the community that are looking for a place to habitate and have shelter," he said. "It could be a variety of people."

He added that investigators are working with law enforcement to determine what activities may be causing the fires.

The fire on South Chelan Avenue and another recent fire in the 900 block of South Mission Street are both under investigation.

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This story was originally published May 25, 2026 at 12:31 PM.