Spokane wildfire arson arrest after Old Trails Fire destroys 700 buildings

Spokane,UPDATED: Aug 4, 2026 21:58 IST

A 37-year-old man has been charged with intentionally starting the biggest of three wildfires that have destroyed hundreds of buildings in and around Spokane in Washington state and forced tens of thousands of people to leave their homes. Aaron F Farinacci, of Spokane, was arrested on Monday and booked on suspicion of first-degree arson in connection with the Old Trails Fire, authorities said.

As of Tuesday morning, none of the three fires had been contained. The blazes had destroyed at least 700 buildings, forced about 67,000 people to evacuate and burned about 41 sq km. Authorities have not said what may have caused the other two fires. More than 1,000 firefighters, many from outside the state, had arrived by Monday, and that number was expected to double in the next few days as officials warned that weather conditions could worsen again on Wednesday.

The Spokane County Sheriff's Office said Farinacci's bond was set at USD 1 million and he was due in court later on Tuesday. Sheriff John Nowels said a tip from a community member who saw a nervous-looking man bent by the side of the road near some grass led authorities to Farinacci, although he was released after initial questioning.

Nowels said major crimes detectives later identified Farinacci again and found that the fire had started where the witness had reported seeing him. Farinacci had matches and a lighter when he was detained, the sheriff said. "As it happens in so many critical cases, it was citizens who were paying attention to their surroundings, being aware and willing to step up and say something that led to the relatively quick apprehension of Mr Farinacci," he said.

A phone number for Farinacci could not be found, and it was not immediately clear whether he had a lawyer who could comment on his behalf. An email was sent to the Spokane County Public Defender's office on Tuesday, and a message was sent to a possible social media account for a brother.

Farinacci had earlier gone to prison over the 2010 killing of his father in Mesa, Arizona. Police had said that, then aged 21, he shot and killed his father during an argument about washing dishes and also shot himself but survived. Records show he was charged with murder but pleaded guilty in 2012 to manslaughter and aggravated assault. He was released from prison in 2020.

The Old Trails Fire began on Saturday northwest of downtown Spokane, crossed the Spokane River and tore through neighbourhoods. After weekend winds eased and shifted, smoke spread across the western part of the state, including the Seattle area. Benjamin Cossel, a spokesperson for the fire incident management team, said firefighting conditions were expected to worsen again on Wednesday, with winds picking up and temperatures forecast to reach the 90s, or about 32 to 37 degrees Celsius.

Residents who fled the fires returned on Monday to scenes of heavy destruction. In some places, only chimneys remained standing. "There's nothing to save," said Miriam Sim, 76, as she and her husband, Daniel Sim, looked over the ruins of the home where they had lived since 2005. "At our age, do we want to rebuild?" her husband asked.

In one Spokane neighbourhood, blackened vehicles, a boat twisted by heat and melted plastic recycling bins were left behind. Across the street, lawns were still green and homes had been spared, as residents kept hoses and sprinklers running on their properties.

The state's congressional delegation wrote to President Donald Trump on Monday seeking an expedited emergency declaration, which he approved. "Hundreds of people have completely lost their homes and farms, and many are prohibited from returning to their homes or neighbourhoods as crews continue to extinguish smoldering embers," the delegation said.

Cpl Mark Gregory, a spokesperson for the Spokane County Sheriff's Office, said the county had initially received nearly 300 reports of missing people, but by Monday all but 14 had been cleared. Authorities said those still unaccounted for were likely people who had not been in contact since evacuating, rather than people who were truly missing or in danger.

Officials also warned people not to fly drones near the burned areas, saying that could delay aerial firefighting operations. The fires were among dozens across the western United States that have stretched federal, state and local firefighting resources. At least 1,000 sq km of land has burned across Washington, which has been dealing with severe drought and poor snowpack.

Angela and Wayde Deatherage, both 49, evacuated shortly after 3 pm on Saturday with a son, taking a few bins of family photographs and heirloom rings but not much else. About 30 minutes later, their security camera began sending fire alerts to Angela's phone. Wayde returned using back roads by early evening, stopped at the end of the street and called his wife: "Our house is done." He then set up a hose at another house so that it sprayed the property, and that home survived.

The couple returned to their property on Sunday. "It's just ash," Angela Deatherage said of the home where they had lived for nearly 22 years. "It's like our house sunk down in the basement... There's just so much loss for so many people."

Karen Faggioli, 61, had expected to return to her home, remembering how other recent fires had been brought under control. But a relative texted her to say that her house and three vehicles had been destroyed, and that a daughter had also lost her nearby home. "Why cry? What's crying going to do? I've been through so many tragedies myself," said Faggioli, who is recovering from breast cancer. "This is nothing. Like I told my granddaughter, We're strong - and now we get all new things.' I'm emotionally numb."

The case against Farinacci has added a criminal investigation to a fast-moving wildfire emergency that has upended thousands of lives in and around Spokane. While crews continued to battle the uncontained fires and residents counted their losses, authorities said the biggest blaze had now led to an arson charge.

With PTI Inputs

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