Arson suspect arrested as wildfires destroy 700 buildings and force 64,000 to evacuate in Spokane, Washington

The fires

Three wildfires ignited on Saturday just before noon near Spokane, Washington. The largest, the Old Trails Fire, started near Old Trails Road and West Euclid Road, west of the city and north of Airway Heights, according to investigators. Within hours, wind-driven flames jumped the narrow Spokane River and swept into residential neighborhoods in northwest Spokane. By Monday, the blazes had scorched more than 10,000 acres (4,000 hectares) and were ranked the top firefighting priority in the United States. Over 1,000 personnel were battling the fires, which remained uncontained as of Tuesday morning amid forecasts of high winds and temperatures.

Arson arrest

Spokane County Sheriff John Nowels announced Monday evening that 37-year-old Spokane resident Aaron Farinacci had been arrested on a first-degree arson charge. Investigators believe Farinacci used matches or a lighter to ignite a roadside patch of grass, sparking the Old Trails Fire. A witness reported seeing a nervous-looking man bending down near the grass at the fire's origin point. Farinacci was first detained Saturday, questioned, and released, then taken into custody Monday after further evidence was gathered. He is being held on a $1 million bond. Prosecuting attorney Preston McCollam said a formal case had been filed and Farinacci would likely appear in court on Tuesday. Farinacci has a prior felony manslaughter conviction in Arizona from 2010, when he shot and killed his father during an argument; he was released from prison in 2020.

Evacuations and destruction

The fires have destroyed at least 700 buildings, mostly homes, with another 400 damaged or destroyed, according to incident command spokesperson Benjamin Cossel. Evacuation orders expanded rapidly: from 4,000 people on Sunday to 64,000 by Monday. No deaths or injuries had been reported as of Monday, but Cossel cautioned that the toll could change once search teams can access areas still cut off by extreme fire activity. Spokane Mayor Lisa Brown called it "the worst natural disaster our region has faced." Washington Governor Bob Ferguson declared a statewide emergency and spoke with President Donald Trump on Sunday to request federal assistance.

Residents flee

Kami Fehlig, 58, watched the fire jump the river from her home in a parkside neighborhood. She recalled telling her children to prepare to leave.

About 30 minutes before it jumped the river, my husband and I were seeing how bad it was, and we told the kids, 'We don't want to scare you, but we think you should start preparing to grab some things.'

Her house and chicken coop burned to the ground. Amy Mulligan was preparing for her child's birthday party when she smelled smoke. After seeing neighbors flee, she and her family grabbed a few belongings and drove off. Her nine-year-old daughter panicked in the car.

She was starting to hyperventilate and crying, saying, 'The fire's right there! The fire's right there!'

James Main, 67, said he had no warning and only 30 minutes to react. He described freezing up momentarily, an anxiety attack he had never experienced before.

We had no warning, by the way, zero warning.

Response and outlook

Firefighters faced deteriorating conditions, with high winds and heat expected to hamper containment. The Spokane-area fires are part of a broader outbreak across the drought-parched Pacific Northwest, where dozens of major fires have burned for weeks, degrading air quality. Scientists attribute the prolonged heat and drought driving such fires to manmade global warming. Authorities urged residents to heed evacuation orders and warned that the danger was far from over.