A 37-year-old Spokane resident is now facing a first-degree arson charge tied to the largest of three wildfires burning across the region. Aaron Farinacci was taken into custody Monday evening after a SWAT team helped serve a warrant, according to Spokane County Sheriff John Nowels.
Farinacci is being held on one million dollars bail. It remains unclear whether he has retained an attorney, and the public defender’s office had not responded to requests for comment as of Monday night. He is due in court Tuesday.
How Investigators Built the Case
The investigation began Saturday morning when a witness spotted a man near Euclid Road and Old Trails Road, crouched in the grass before standing up and walking away in what the witness described as a nervous manner. That witness later saw the same man again and alerted police.
An officer located Farinacci about a mile and a half from where the fire had ignited and briefly questioned him. He was carrying waterproof matches and a butane lighter at the time, items investigators say could have started the blaze. He was released that day without charges.
Detectives spent the following two days gathering evidence and said they eventually traced the fire’s origin to the exact spot where witnesses reported seeing Farinacci in the grass. He was arrested Monday afternoon.
Officials noted Farinacci had previously come under scrutiny for arson-related behavior, though he had never been charged in connection with it. He also has a manslaughter conviction from Arizona dating back to a 2010 case in Maricopa County.
Sheriff Nowels said investigators have found no evidence linking Farinacci to the two other major fires burning in the Spokane area.
Fires Continue to Devastate the Region
The Old Trails Fire alone has burned more than 3,600 acres. Combined, the three fires have consumed over 8,000 acres, destroyed roughly 700 structures and forced about 65,000 people from their homes. As of Monday night, none of the fires were contained.
Officials are using satellite imagery from more than 1,100 locations to assess the full scope of the damage, and the sheriff’s office says it is still trying to locate 14 people who had requested help during the evacuations.
Governor Bob Ferguson has declared a statewide emergency and put a burn ban in place across all 39 counties through the end of September. Nearly 900 firefighters and National Guard members remain on the ground battling the flames.
