Washington man arrested on suspicion of arson in Spokane wildfires
Aaron Farinacci was arrested after investigators linked him to the Old Trails Fire, as three Spokane-area blazes forced about 60,000 evacuations.
Spokane County Sheriff John Nowels announced the arrest of Aaron Farinacci on suspicion of arson after investigators linked him to the Old Trails Fire, one of three fast-moving blazes that tore through the Spokane area and damaged at least 600 structures. The arrest turned an already volatile wildfire emergency into a criminal case, as crews and residents faced a fire complex that spread across neighborhoods in eastern Washington.
The Old Trails Fire began around noon on Saturday, Aug. 1, burning brush and grass in an open area before moving quickly north and east toward residential streets. Strong winds and soaring temperatures helped drive the blaze, and by Aug. 2 it was part of a wider outbreak that also included the Fairview Fire and the Autumn Lane Fire. Spokane declared a state of emergency as the fires continued to move through dry terrain at the edge of the city.
Large parts of Spokane were placed under Level 3 evacuation orders that told residents, “Leave NOW! This may be your only notice.” By Aug. 3, Spokane Mayor Lisa Brown said nearly half of the city’s neighborhoods had either been evacuated or were at risk while the fires remained uncontained. The Associated Press reported that about 5,000 homes were under evacuation pressure, and another estimate put the number of people forced out at about 60,000 across the Spokane area.
The physical footprint of the fires widened quickly. About 8.2 square miles burned over the weekend, and NBC News reported that at least 600 structures were damaged in the Washington wildfires. The scale of the evacuations and losses showed how quickly one ignition in brush and grass could become a regional disaster once heat, wind and residential exposure lined up on the same afternoon.
The Spokane case also came amid another local arson investigation. In July, Chad A. Horne, 36, was booked on second-degree arson and reckless burning in connection with multiple fires, underscoring how much pressure eastern Washington fire officials were already under before the latest outbreak spread across Spokane.
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