Arson Suspect in Spokane Wildfire Arrested After Inferno Destroyed Hundreds of Homes

An ex-convict has been arrested in Washington state on arson charges after he allegedly started the biggest of the three Spokane County wildfires that destroyed hundreds of homes and displaced tens of thousands of residents this week.

Aaron Farinacci, 37, was taken into custody at his home in Spokane, WA, on Monday evening and charged with first-degree arson in connection with the Old Trails Fire, which ignited around noon on Saturday, Spokane County Sheriff John Nowels said at a news conference overnight.

The Old Trails Fire, along with two other conflagrations, dubbed the Autumn Lane and Fairview fires, together have scorched 10,000 acres, or 16 square miles, leaving in their wake an estimated 700 homes and structures in ruins across Spokane County.

As of Tuesday, the blazes were 0% contained as thousands of firefighters from multiple states battled the flames.

Officials say that police officers first questioned Farinacci on Saturday afternoon after witnesses reported seeing a nervous-looking man in a green shirt that read "Who Needs Luck, I Have Charm" bending down in the grass and looking at the treeline near the intersection of North Old Trail Road and West Euclid Road. A short time later, smoke was spotted rising from that area. 

Police officers helping evacuate the communities tracked Farinacci down a few miles from where the Old Trails Fire ignited and detained him for questioning. Although allegedly found to be in possession of a fanny pack containing cigarettes, a butane lighter, and a box of waterproof matches, the man denied starting the fire.

Farinacci was released at the time due to insufficient evidence. However, he was taken into custody two days later after a fire investigator determined that the Old Trails Fire was caused by an open flame to vegetation and detectives were able to develop a probable cause.

"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," Nowels told reporters.  

Criminal past revealed

Court records cited by ABC10 reveal that while living in Mesa, AZ, in 2010, Farinacci, then aged 21, shot and killed his father during an argument over dishwashing. 

Farinacci also shot himself in an apparent suicide attempt but survived, reported the Associated Press.

In 2012, Farinacci pleaded guilty to manslaughter and aggravated assault and was sentenced to 12 years in prison. He was released with credit for time served in December 2020 and put on probation, which ended in 2024.

Farinacci is currently being held in the Spokane County Jail on a $1 million bond pending his initial court appearance on Tuesday. The county sheriff said he is not ruling out bringing additional charges against the suspect as the case continues to unfold  

The cause of the two other wildfires raging in Spokane County remain under investigation.

'War-zone' level devastation

Speaking to CNN, Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson said the revelation that one of the fires may have been caused by arson only exacerbates the tragedy.

"It just takes a tragic situation and makes it more heartbreaking to think that much of this damage could have been caused by an individual doing this on purpose," said Ferguson. "It adds to a really challenging situation."

Maj. Gen. Gent Welsh, adjutant general of the Washington National Guard that responded to the disaster area, likened the scale of devastation inflicted by the trio of infernos to a "war zone."

"I've been a lot of places around the world. ... That is a war zone," Welsh told reporters after touring the impacted communities. "When you look at the devastation and the damage ... some of these folks may not recover." 

No injuries or deaths have been reported so far in connection with the wildfires, but an estimated 67,000 people have been displaced as a result of the disaster.

Photos and videos taken in Spokane County show fields of charred debris punctuated with solitary chimneys where homes used to stand.