A 15-year-old Vancouver boy faces reckless burning and other charges in the Eagle Creek fire that torched major swaths of the Columbia River Gorge, but authorities disclosed little else about the suspect or their investigation.

The teen appeared recently in Hood River County Circuit Court and was arraigned on a juvenile court petition, the Hood River County District Attorney's Office announced Thursday.

The district attorney didn't release the boy's name or any information about the hearing, when it occurred, when the boy will appear again in court or if he's in custody.

He faces allegations of reckless burning, depositing burning materials on forest lands, unlawful fireworks possession, criminal mischief and recklessly endangering other people.

The fire began about 4 p.m. Sept. 2 over the hot Labor Day weekend. It trapped dozens of hikers on the popular Eagle Creek Trail and spread rapidly, fueled by gusting winds and tinder dry forest conditions.

A woman reported witnessing a boy throw fireworks into the Eagle Creek Canyon that Saturday afternoon and described the group of friends giggling and taking a cellphone video of the deed that afternoon.

"I saw this shorter kid lob this smoke bomb down into the canyon," Liz FitzGerald, 48, of Portland told The Oregonian/OregonLive. "I was probably 4 feet away from him. I said, 'Do you realize how dangerous this is? There's a raging forest fire up the trail. This place is so dry.'"

The 48,831-acre wildfire changed the landscape in the scenic gorge and forced hundreds of evacuations and an extended shutdown of Interstate 84. Multnomah Falls and other major landmarks remain closed as firefighters continue to assess damage.

When the investigation began, Oregon State Police said they would release the teen's name, but changed their minds soon after and said they would protect his identity even in the event of an arrest, citing concerns about the outcry and possible backlash against him.

Condemnation of the boy on social media followed soon after the nation's No. 1 wildfire at the time raged out of control and sent choking smoke and ash into Portland and its suburbs.

The investigation -- by state police with help from the U.S. Forest Service -- was closely watched by people with a stake in the fire and aftermath.

"Fireworks are illegal at any time on any federal lands," Michael Lang, conservation director for Friends of the Columbia Gorge, said in a statement. "What happens next is for the courts to decide."

Opinion is divided in Cascade Locks, the city nearest the Eagle Creek Trail where much of the town was ordered to evacuate and shops suffered big losses during the worst of the blaze.

Mayor Tom Cramblett said some residents prefer harsh punishment, but others favor having the suspect help with cleanup and restoration work if he's found guilty.

Either way, Cramblett said he doesn't think the city of 1,200 will dwell on the outcome. A fire was bound to happen eventually in the gorge's thick forest -- whether a lighting strike or a person touched it off, he said.

"I leave it up to the courts," he said.

It's not clear if anyone else will face charges in the case.

Forest fire damage spread over the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area in Hood River County as well as Multnomah County. But charges were filed in Hood River County because Oregon's juvenile code says legal proceedings should start in the county where the illegal act originally occurred, the district attorney's statement said.

Jim Patterson, director of Hood River County Juvenile Department, declined to release any information about the time or date of the 15-year-old's court appearances and wouldn't say why, referring all questions to

Hood River County District Attorney John Sewell.

A person who answered the phone at the district attorney's office said Sewell was not available to speak and wouldn't answer questions about the handling of the Eagle Creek prosecution.

The Oregonian/OregonLive typically doesn't name youths charged in Juvenile Court unless they face Measure 11 crimes. None of the accusations in this case fall under the mandatory-sentencing statute.

Reckless burning and recklessly endangering other people are misdemeanors and criminal mischief can be a misdemeanor or a felony.

Oregon law doesn't allow the damaging effects that a fire inflicts to influence a prosecutor's decision on whether to charge arson. It's the accused fire-starter's intent that is a main factor.

The least serious charge is reckless burning, which often results in a sentence of probation. The most serious is Measure 11 first-degree arson, which calls for a mandatory minimum sentence of 7 1/2 years in prison.

But to prove that level of arson, state law requires prosecutors show that the person started the fire intentionally and that the fire threatened serious physical injury to specific people.

Defendants who ignite fires by setting off fireworks or flicking cigarettes into the brush commonly face reckless burning charges, not arson, under Oregon law.

The Eagle Creek fire is about 50 percent contained and is no longer growing. Cleanup and rehabilitation continue.

State transportation workers are on alert for increased landslide activity in the fire area, given heavy rains coming this weekend.

-- Aimee Green, Maxine Bernstein and Jim Ryan of The Oregonian/OregonLive contributed to this report.

--Allan Brettman

503-294-5900

@allanbrettman