Washington man arrested on arson charge tied to devastating Spokane wildfire

A Washington state man was arrested Monday on a first-degree arson charge in connection with the Old Trails Fire, one of several wildfires that have destroyed hundreds of structures and forced tens of thousands of people to evacuate the Spokane area, authorities said.

Aaron F. Farinacci, 37, was taken into custody after Spokane County Sheriff’s Office detectives and Washington Department of Natural Resources investigators developed probable cause to arrest him, according to the sheriff’s office.

Citizen tips and information from Airway Heights police officers and Spokane County sheriff’s deputies who responded to the initial call and conducted evacuations helped lead investigators to Farinacci, the sheriff’s office said.

Authorities described Farinacci as a convicted felon from Arizona but said they had found no documented criminal history involving fires.

Investigators have not connected Farinacci to the two other major blazes burning in the area, the Autumn Lane and Fairview fires, officials said.

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"We will be looking into any other crimes Mr. Farinacci may have committed in the past," Spokane County Sheriff John Nowels said during a news briefing.

Nowels said first-degree arson was the charge supported by probable cause at that stage of the investigation and cautioned that the case could change as authorities gathered additional evidence.

Detectives obtained an arrest warrant for Farinacci and a search warrant for his residence in the 2800 block of West Elliott Drive, according to the sheriff’s office.

Deputies served the warrant Monday and arrested Farinacci without incident. Authorities said detectives found a butane lighter and waterproof matches while detaining and searching him.

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Farinacci was booked into the Spokane County Jail and was being held on $1 million bond.

The Old Trails Fire was first reported Saturday near North Old Trails Road and West Euclid Road. It became the largest of three destructive fires burning around Spokane and remained uncontained Monday, according to authorities and wire reports.

The three fires had collectively destroyed at least 700 structures and prompted evacuation orders affecting approximately 67,000 people as of Monday, according to The Associated Press. More than 1,000 firefighters were battling the blazes.

Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson declared a statewide wildfire emergency Saturday amid drought, unusually high temperatures and strong winds. The declaration also imposed a statewide prohibition on most outdoor and agricultural burning through Sept. 30.