Arson Suspect Arrested as Wildfires Force 65,000 to Flee Spokane

A 37-year-old man appeared in court on Tuesday in Spokane, Washington, after being charged with starting one of three fires that have destroyed over 700 houses and other buildings and forced 64,000 people to evacuate. The suspect, Spokane resident Aaron Farinacci, previously imprisoned for killing his father, made his initial appearance in county court after being jailed on a $1 million bond on a count of first-degree arson. Farinacci is accused of starting the Old Trails Fire, one of three that erupted on Saturday to the north and west of Spokane, by using matches or a lighter to ignite a roadside patch of grass. The three blazes together are ranked as the top firefighting priority in the U.S. as a whole. Driven by gusting winds and tinder-dry conditions, the Spokane-area fires have blackened more than 10,000 acres (4,000 hectares) on the northern fringe of the state's second city, home to about 230,000 residents. Online drone footage showed the Old Trails Fire swept out of a state park into wooded, suburban neighborhoods, turning homes to ash, melting cars and leaving only blackened trees standing. Authorities pleaded with people not to fly drones after dozens of such illegal flights grounded all firefighting aircraft on Monday. "We're still in a firefight here," said Tom Stokesberry, spokesman for firefighting teams in the area. "This is just a dynamic situation with everything we're facing, three separate fires in the urban interface". Cooler temperatures and lighter winds were expected to help firefighters on Tuesday, Stokesberry said, adding that the Old Trails and Fairview fires remained stable in size while the Autumn Lane fire continued to grow. Temperatures were set to rise to around 32C (90F) starting midweek, making it harder to control the blazes which are not contained at all, state officials said in a report. No fatalities had been reported from the Spokane fires. Sheriff Nowels said the arson suspect was first detained on Saturday after a witness reported seeing a nervous-looking man bending down near some grass at the spot where arson investigators later determined the Old Trails Fire began. Farinacci was questioned and released that day, but taken into custody on Monday afternoon, once investigators had obtained further evidence. In 2010, Farinacci shot dead his father in Mesa, Arizona, after an argument over washing dishes, police said. He subsequently shot himself but survived. Farinacci pleaded guilty to manslaughter and was sentenced to 12 years imprisonment. He was released from custody in 2020. Washington Governor Bob Ferguson said it was a "nightmare situation", adding: "This is likely the worst natural disaster in Spokane history". The city's mayor Lisa Brown said there was still "the potential for lives to be lost" and that it was too early to say when people might be able to return home. ---