SPOKANE, Wash. — A Spokane man has been arrested in connection with the Old Trails Fire as crews continue battling a series of devastating wildfires that have destroyed hundreds of structures and forced tens of thousands of people to flee across Spokane County.
The Spokane County Sheriff’s Office announced Monday evening that 37-year-old Aaron F. Farinacci, of Spokane, was arrested around 5 p.m. on suspicion of first-degree arson.
He is being held on $1 million bail and is scheduled to make his first court appearance Tuesday.
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According to investigators, the case began around 10 a.m. Saturday when a citizen who lives in the area reported seeing a man bending down along the side of the road near Euclid Road and Old Trails Road.
The witness told deputies they saw the same man again while driving home and contacted the Airway Heights Police Department.
An Airway Heights police officer located the man about 1.5 miles from where the fire started, questioned him, collected his contact information and released him at the time.
Detectives with the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office spent the following days gathering evidence, building the case and working to locate the suspect before arresting Farinacci on Monday afternoon.
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Sheriff John Nowels said Farinacci has a previous felony manslaughter conviction in Arizona.
Authorities have not released additional details about the investigation or what evidence led to the arrest. The investigation remains ongoing.
Fires devastate Spokane County
The arrest comes as the Spokane Complex fires continue to devastate eastern Washington.
Authorities said the fires have destroyed about 700 structures, many of them homes, and warned that number is expected to increase as damage assessments continue.
The fires have forced as many as 65,000 people to evacuate.
Officials said Monday that satellite imagery is being collected from approximately 1,100 additional locations to help determine the full extent of residential and commercial damage.
PHOTOS: Devastating wildfires tear through Spokane County
The Spokane County Sheriff’s Office also said it is still trying to locate 14 people who requested assistance during the fires.
“There’s a moment of fear that I think I’ve never felt before in my life,” evacuee Katie Sullivan said. “Where the cloud of smoke comes and blocks the sun, and you can hear things exploding, catching fire, there’s nowhere to go.”
Spokane Fire Chief Tom Williams said crews still have a long road ahead.
“This fire is still very active, and it’s going to be for some time until we can get crews to visit every place that was affected by it,” Williams said.
For many residents, the destruction has left difficult decisions about whether to rebuild.
“I don’t think I’m going to rebuild here,” Aric Frank, who lost his home in the fire, said. “I don’t ever want to have to relive a fire coming up this hill again, and I’ve been in Spokane my entire 64 years.”
Smoke spreads west as statewide burn ban takes effect
Smoke from the Spokane-area fires, along with wildfires burning in Canada and central Washington, is expected to continue affecting air quality across western Washington, including the Seattle area.
In response to the growing wildfire threat, Gov. Bob Ferguson has declared a statewide emergency and implemented an outdoor burn ban for all 39 Washington counties.
The ban remains in effect through Sept. 30 unless it is lifted early or extended.
The burn ban applies to activities including campfires, bonfires, yard debris burning, trash burning, land clearing, weed abatement and most agricultural burning.
Exemptions include liquid- or gas-fueled stoves and grills used over nonflammable surfaces at least 5 feet from vegetation, agricultural or silvicultural burning conducted under an approved permit, and campfires allowed at state, county and municipal parks and campgrounds or contained fire rings on private property where permitted by local restrictions.
About 900 firefighting crews and members of the Washington National Guard continue working to contain the fires across eastern Washington.
