Convicted Felon Accused Of Lighting Devastating Washington Wildfire

Police accused a man convicted of manslaughter of intentionally starting a devastating wildfire in Spokane, Washington. 

The Spokane County Sheriff’s Office announced Monday that it charged 37-year-old Aaron F. Farinacci with first-degree arson over the Old Trails Fire that has burned some 3,600 acres. Farinacci was previously convicted of manslaughter in Arizona after first being charged with premeditated murder, authorities said. 

Spokane County Sheriff John Nowels credited some “very aware and alert citizens” with aiding in the arrest of Farinacci. 

“The witness, a citizen, very good citizen, noticed a male standing on the side of the road looking into the trees as he was going to pick somebody up,” Nowels said at a press conference. “About 10 minutes later, he was coming back through the area. He noticed the male was bending down near some grass.”

That citizen later called police and Nowels said police spoke to Farinacci shortly after the blaze started. He was not arrested at the time, but investigators later used footage from that encounter to identify him after arson was determined to be behind the blaze. 

Nowels said that police determined “that the origin of the fire was indeed exactly where the witnesses had seen Mr. Farinacci kneeling in the grass earlier that day.”

Farinacci was detained by police and was in possession of a butane lighter and waterproof matches. Nowels said law enforcement is looking into whether he committed any other crimes. 

Spokane Sheriff’s Department.

“This was fantastic and very quick work by everybody involved,” he said. “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.”

Farinacci is being held on a $1 million bond in Spokane County Jail and is set to appear in court on Tuesday. 

More than 60,000 people have been forced to evacuate as many homes were destroyed after three major blazes broke out over the weekend in the Spokane area. No known fatalities have yet been reported, but authorities are still working to locate 14 people. 

“It’s just ash,” Angela Deatherage told the Associated Press about the destruction of her home. “It’s like our house sunk down in the basement. … There’s just so much loss for so many people.”

Spokane Mayor Lisa Brown described the fires as “the worst natural disaster our region has faced.”