A utility worker marks a spot where a suspected gas line is at a burned property during the Old Trails fire in Spokane, Washington, on Aug. 4.
Josh Edelson/AFP via Getty Images
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Josh Edelson/AFP via Getty Images
SPOKANE, Wash. — The man who allegedly started one of the current wildfires in Washington state’s second-largest city made his first court appearance on Tuesday.
Aaron Farinacci, a 37-year-old convicted felon, has been charged with first-degree arson. He is accused of “knowingly and maliciously” causing the Old Trails Fire, the most destructive of the three blazes burning in and around Spokane, a city of 230,000 people in eastern Washington.
Farinacci was arrested on Monday and appeared in court virtually from jail on Tuesday. His bail has been set at $1 million and his next court date is scheduled for Thursday.
Spokane County Sheriff John Nowels said a tip from a citizen led investigators to detain a suspect early in the investigation. According to court documents, a witness described seeing “a bald white male wearing a backpack and a green shirt” near a tree line in Spokane on Saturday afternoon — which is also when the wildfire began. The witness added that the suspect appeared “nervous.”
The man, identified as Farinacci, was questioned and released. He was arrested again later by major crimes detectives and investigators as more details emerged during the investigation, Nowels said in a press conference on Monday night.
Nowels said authorities believe Farinacci used matches or a lighter to start the fire. According to court documents, authorities found a pack of cigarettes, a butane lighter and a used box of “rain ready, heavy duty waterproof matches” inside Farinacci’s fanny pack. The suspect denied starting the fire, telling officers that he used the matches to light his cigarette, the documents said.
About 14 years ago, Farinacci pleaded guilty to a manslaughter charge in Arizona, according to court records reviewed by NPR. The Associated Press reported that Farinacci shot and killed his father after a heated argument when he was 21.
The cause of the fires is still under investigation, according to Spokane authorities.
Support staff of the California Complex Incident Management Team 7 give briefings to firefighters as day crew and night crew switch on the evening of August 3, 2026 at Mt. Spokane High School in Mead, Wash.
Margaret Albaugh for NPR
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Margaret Albaugh for NPR
Over the past few days, the wildfires in Spokane have been fueled by high winds, temperatures and dry weather. Since last weekend, the wildfires have displaced 65,000 people, destroyed some 700 buildings and burned through 10,000 acres of land.
They have also forced the evacuation of businesses, the region’s Veterans Affairs hospital campus and other healthcare facilities.
There have been no reports of deaths or injuries so far. On Tuesday, Spokane County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that the 14 people who were previously unaccounted for have been reached, member station Northwest Public Broadcasting reported.
Those who have been evacuated are seeking refuge at the Spokane Convention Center, which is being used as a Red Cross shelter.
Charlie Patrick evacuated on Saturday and is staying with her son at the shelter. Patrick, who is 54 and disabled, said she left her apartment with nothing and doesn’t know whether it burned down.
“I hope it is still there,” she said, choking back tears. “I have a lot of memories and pictures and stuff of my family I can’t get back.”
Donna Deeble, 92, is also at the Red Cross shelter. She was evacuated from an assisted living facility in a coordinated effort by Spokane Transit Authority.
“We were sitting out in front and waiting to see what happened, and pretty soon the transit buses came and picked us up,” she told Northwest Public Broadcasting. “There was a constant line of families picking up their elder people, so it was a busy place, but we were all pretty calm.”
Firefighters work to douse hot spots on the Old Trails Fire on Tuesday.
Kirk Siegler/NPR
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Kirk Siegler/NPR
Firefighters on Monday and Tuesday were trying to take advantage of a brief reprieve in the high winds to contain the fires before another heat wave is forecast to arrive midweek.
In an interview with NPR’s Here & Now on Monday, Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson described Spokane as a “war zone.”
“It’s devastating,” Ferguson said, adding that neighborhoods in the city had been “wiped out.”
Ferguson said he spoke with President Trump and Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin on Sunday and had put in a request to the federal government “for an emergency declaration for immediate relief.”
He said that included relief for housing and food, as well as search and rescue assistance.
Northwest Public Broadcasting’s Anna King and Erik Bengel contributed reporting.
