Authorities in Washington have arrested a man for arson in connection with one of the major wildfires devastating the eastern part of the state, which has destroyed hundreds of homes and forced tens of thousands to flee.
Aaron F. Farinacci, a 37-year-old Spokane resident, was arrested on a single charge of first-degree arson related to the Old Trails Fire, which sprang up on Saturday alongside two other major fies, Spokane County Sheriff John Nowels said at a news conference on Monday evening.
The fires, which began in the Spokane, Washington, area, have burned more than 8,000 acres and remained 0% contained as of a Monday update. About 65,000 people were under evacuation orders, a dramatic increase from the day before as flames spread through
residential areas. Hundreds of structures, including homes and businesses, have been destroyed, according to the California Interagency Incident Management Team 7.
Videos from the fire zone showed towering smoke plumes rising above trees and neighborhoods as airplane tankers dropped fire retardant on the fast-moving flames. Footage also showed homes that were left in ruins among burnt trees as the fires burned along wooded ridge lines near residential areas.
About 1,100 firefighters were assigned to the Spokane-area fires on Monday, while more than 29,200 wildfire personnel were deployed nationwide, with resources heavily concentrated across Washington state, Oregon and Idaho, according to the National Interagency Fire Center.
Man arrested for arson in Spokane-area fire
07:03 AM ET, August 4 2026, Jeanine SantucciNowels said a "very good citizen" alerted authorities that he saw a man standing on the side of the road as he was going to pick somebody up, then about 10 minutes later, saw the same man bending down over some grass and looking "nervous," then walking away, in the same area where it was determined one of the wildfires, the Old Trails Fire, began on Saturday.
Farinacci was detained and found to have matches and a lighter on him, and was questioned and released that day, Nowels said. After further investigation, he was arrested and charged on Monday, the sheriff said. Nowels said the origin of the fire was determined to be exactly where the witness saw Farinacci kneeling, and fire investigators determined it was consistent with having been started by a match or lighter igniting grass.
"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," Nowels said.
"He made statements when he was detained about, 'we didn't know the whole story,' or something to that effect," Nowels said.
Farinacci has a prior conviction for manslaughter in Arizona, Nowels said. It was not immediately clear if Farinacci had an attorney who could comment on his behalf. USA TODAY has reached out to the Spokane County Public Defender's Office.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Man arrested for arson as Spokane wildfires destroy homes: Updates
