The 15-year-old suspected of starting the Eagle Creek fire by playing with fireworks is a church-going snowboarder from a large Ukrainian family mortified by what happened, several people close to the family say.

Public criticism and vitriol followed quickly as the Sept. 2 fire grew to more than 48,000 acres, threatening the heart of the Columbia River Gorge recreation area and racking up a firefighting bill of at least $20 million to date.

After a nearly seven-week investigation, the teen now faces charges in Hood River Juvenile Court, including reckless burning, criminal mischief and reckless endangerment. The Oregonian/OregonLive typically doesn't name juveniles in criminal cases unless they're charged with Measure 11 crimes or are tried as an adult. Neither of those conditions apply to this case.

The boy's older brother told The Oregonian/OregonLive that he also was with the group hiking that day on the popular Eagle Creek Trail when a witness said she saw the 15-year-old throw a smoke bomb into the forested canyon. Smoke soon rose up. She said some in the group appeared to be giggling and unaware of the danger.

The boy's mother also spoke briefly to a reporter at the family home. "This is a trauma for him," she said in Russian, acknowledging, "It was his mistake."

His mother declined further comment, saying she fears a public backlash and that the boy's school-age siblings might face retaliation. The case has sparked fierce debate over the potential consequences for the boy, including whether his family should be financially liable for damages.

Firefighting costs covering state and federal expenses are expected to rise beyond the $20 million already spent as the fire smolders and work continues, a U.S. Forest Service spokeswoman said. That doesn't include things like $2 million to $3 million in lost business in the Cascade Locks, where evacuations hit at the height of the late summer tourist season.

While some see the fire as a tragic, yet youthful lapse, others have demanded severe consequences.

"The boy who started the Eagle Creek fire is a teen. Teens do this kind of thing all the time. It was a terrible human mistake," someone wrote on Twitter in October.

But another person wrote: "To teen who allegedly started Eagle Creek fire: I hope you land in jail and bankrupt your family over your idiocy."

The case has been shrouded in unusual secrecy. Hood River County authorities and state police have declined to release details of their investigation. Police have said they wanted to forestall retribution against the family but said they'd received no credible threats against the boy. Juvenile Court records are confidential in Oregon, so the only way to find out about a case is to attend court hearings.

The 15-year-old was arraigned in Hood River County Juvenile Court without notice. The county's Juvenile Department won't say when he was arraigned and initially declined to give the date of his next court appearance. An official subsequently said no other court dates had been scheduled.

The court also declined to release the name of his attorney. His father, who works as a cook, didn't return texts or voicemails asking for the name of the boy's lawyer.

District Attorney John Sewell hasn't released the boy's name, arguing that confidentiality is necessary to protect the boy's parents.

"I know, without a doubt, that this boy's parents have suffered psychological injury due to their son's actions," Sewell wrote in a letter to The Oregonian/OregonLive. "This includes an inordinate amount of stress, anxiety and fear concerning the wellbeing of not just the accused, but also the other children in the family home."

But Sewell indicated a resolution may be close. "I expect that before long, in a courtroom open to the public, much will be made known," he wrote.

The teen, who was a high school freshman last year and who likes to snowboard, is third-oldest in a large family of brothers and sisters. The parents emigrated from the Odessa region in Ukraine in 2000, the mother said.

The family attends a Pentecostal church in Vancouver with a twice-weekly service that is almost exclusively in Russian. An acquaintance from the church said that the boy's father has served as the main cook on church trips. The mother sings in the choir, the acquaintance said.

It's not unexpected that the community would worry about the fallout from the fire. For decades, Pentecostals felt persecuted under the atheist Soviet government. Thousands emigrated starting in the late 1980s when the Soviet government eased travel restrictions.

Russian-speaking Pentecostals form one of the largest Eastern European immigrant communities in the metro area, said Tatiana Osipovich, a professor emeritus of Russian at Lewis & Clark College. They live a conservative life defined by their community and their religion, she said, and are isolated.

The pastor at the family's church said the parents understand the gravity of the case but don't want to speak publicly over concern for their children's safety. He said he has concerns of his own, including a potential anti-immigrant reaction from the case.

"People (in the church) are suffering, praying that it doesn't bring some negative consequences for all of us Russian-speakers," the pastor said. "We are travelers and visitors. We are not in our country. Of course, we are a little scared."

The Eagle Creek fire burned through 48,831 acres of forest in the gorge, threatening landmarks including Multnomah Falls and destroying others including the Oneonta Tunnel on the Historic Columbia River Highway. Hundreds of people were evacuated in cities between Hood River and Portland and Interstate 84 was closed for 10 days. It threatened 5,000 homes and buildings and destroyed four homes.

The fire sent thick smoke and ash into Portland and caused health warnings for days. Many trails and campgrounds remained closed along the gorge with no schedule for reopening.

The fire is now 50 percent contained and no longer spreading.

-- Fedor Zarkhin

503-294-7674; @fedorzarkhin