The Weissenfels Ridge Fire burned 5,000 acres along Snake River Road south of Asotin, Wash., and Lewiston last week — and believe it or not, it was ignited by the blazing sun hitting the bottom of a glass bottle. “I ruled out a lawn mower and fire pit as causes,” said Dan Hally of the Asotin County Sheriff’s Office.

Bad area for blaze Butch Aiken, director of emergency services for the county, said the fire, which threatened 13 homes, could have been extinguished in a few hours if it had started in a spot with fire protection. Residents in the Snake River corridor opted out of joining the Blue Mountain Fire District years ago, he said.

A costly spread By the time the fire blew into the Blue Mountain district and could be battled, it wound up being way more expensive to contain, Aiken said.