Spokane police arrested Aaron Farinacci, 37, a convicted felon, on suspicion of starting the Old Trails Fire that has burned more than 3,600 acres. The arrest followed reports from concerned citizens who noticed Farinacci bending down in grass near the fire’s origin on August 1 and later saw smoke in the area.
The Old Trails Fire is part of a series of three major blazes that have destroyed hundreds of homes in Spokane County over the past three days. As of Tuesday, these fires have consumed more than 10,000 acres, damaged over 700 structures, and forced more than 60,000 residents to evacuate their homes.
Spokane officials attribute the rapid spread of the fires to extreme fire weather, drought conditions, and strong winds. This past winter was abnormally mild, contributing to the current dry environment.
The pattern of destructive wildfires is national in scope. In Los Angeles, Jonathan Rinderknecht, an Uber driver, was accused of igniting a blaze after listening to a rap song with a music video depicting fires. That fire destroyed approximately 6,000 structures and killed 12 people. Similarly, in Arizona, Leonard Gregg, a tribal firefighter, set fire to his area hoping to secure employment with the Bureau of Indian Affairs, resulting in one of the state’s largest wildfires.
Historically, arson has been linked to some of the most devastating fires in U.S. history, including the 2006 Esperanza Fire in California, which was set by Raymond Lee Oyler and consumed nearly 41,000 acres while killing five firefighters.