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By Aliss Higham and Anna Skinner
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A 37-year-old man was arrested Monday on suspicion of starting the destructive Old Trails wildfire burning across eastern Washington.
Aaron F. Farinacci was arrested around 5 p.m. PDT on Monday and has been charged with first-degree arson, Spokane County Sheriff John Nowels said. Farinacci was being held on a $1 million bond. The hearing for his first appearance at the Spokane County Superior Court is set for Tuesday at 3:30 p.m. PDT. The Spokane County Public Defender's Office will represent Farinacci at the hearing on Tuesday. If Farinacci qualifies for the office's services, an attorney will be appointed to his case on Wednesday, a Spokane County Public Defender spokesperson told Newsweek. Farinacci will not be entering a plea at his hearing on Tuesday, but at his arraignment, which will likely be set for Thursday, the spokesperson said.
Newsweek has reached out to the Spokane County Sheriff's Office for comment via email.
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The blaze began Saturday and is among several fires burning near Spokane, which is Washington state's second-largest city. Together, the wildfires have destroyed at least 700 structures and prompted the evacuation of more than 60,000 people.
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Who Is Aaron Farinacci?
Farinacci was arrested after a witness told police they had seen a man near the site of the Old Trails Fire shortly before the blaze began around 10 a.m. Saturday, according to Nowels.
The witness said the man had been staring into the trees before crouching beside a road near a patch of grass. He then "stood up and looked very nervous," before walking away, Nowels said.
Deputies detained Farinacci later that day about half a mile from the suspected point of origin and questioned him, but initially released him. Nowels said Farinacci had waterproof matches and a butane lighter, either of which could have ignited a fire. According to court documents obtained by Newsweek, 11 matches were missing from the pack. Farinacci said he bought the matches around Wednesday, the affidavit said, and that he used them to light cigarettes when his lighter didn't work.
Three witnesses said they saw Farinacci near where the fire started, to which Farinacci responded to officers that those witnesses don't know "the whole thing," the documents said.
"Farinacci denied starting the fire and denied being in the area of the fire," the document said.
Major crimes detectives investigating the case on Sunday connected Farinacci to the blaze "and determined that the origin of the fire was indeed exactly where the witnesses had seen Mr. Farinacci kneeling in the grass," Nowels said.
The court documents also revealed that Farinacci was contacted by investigators in connection with another fire in the Equestrian area of Riverside State Park in August 2025. Farinacci was also contacted by Spokane Police Department officers during an arson/fire call in July 2025, the affidavit said.
Spokane County Prosecuting Attorney Preston McCollam said Farinacci has a criminal history in Arizona, including a manslaughter conviction.
Farinacci pleaded guilty to manslaughter after he killed his father in a domestic incident on October 11, 2010, court documents show. He was sentenced to 12 years in prison for his crime in 2012.
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Spokane Fires
Fast-moving fires have left a trail of destruction in Spokane County, with officials reporting hundreds of structures reduced to cinders. The Old Trails, Fairview and Autumn Lane fires have burned more than 7,500 acres across Spokane and Stevens counties after breaking out Saturday.
The Old Trails Fire is the largest of the three, scorching about 3,600 acres northwest of Spokane by late Monday. The blaze spread rapidly through grass and brush, crossed the Spokane River and reached residential areas.
There have been no confirmed deaths. Authorities have also located 14 people who were previously unaccounted for, Nowels said.
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Ferguson said the arrest of Farinacci has made a "tragic situation" for those who have lost their homes "more heartbreaking." Images from the communities impacted by the fire show destroyed homes and charred vehicles.
In a Monday post on X, formerly Twitter, Ferguson said he has asked for federal assistance in dealing with the fires.
"Yesterday afternoon, I made a request for an emergency declaration and direct federal assistance as we fight devastating wildfires in Washington state," he said. "This morning, we had a call with FEMA representatives. We have not received word yet that's been granted. However, FEMA is already moving resources into Washington state in anticipation of that potentially being granted. I appreciate the outreach from the federal government."
'Our House Is Done'
Angela and Wayde Deatherage, both 49, evacuated shortly after 3 p.m. Saturday with their son, grabbing a few bins of family photos and heirloom rings but not much else. Roughly 30 minutes later, their security camera was sending fire notifications to Angela’s phone.
Wayde Deatherage took some back roads and returned by early evening. He stopped at the end of the street and called his wife: "Our house is done."
Deatherage, however, wasn’t done with his neighborhood. He propped a hose at another house so it sprayed the property. That home survived.
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The couple returned to their property Sunday.
"It’s just ash," Angela Deatherage said of the home where they had lived for nearly 22 years. "It’s like our house sunk down in the basement…There’s just so much loss for so many people."
Karen Faggioli, 61, figured she would be returning to her home. She recalled how other recent fires had been brought under control. But a relative texted her the bad news: Her house and three vehicles were destroyed. A daughter lost her nearby house, too.
"Why cry? What’s crying going to do? I’ve been through so many tragedies myself," said Faggioli, who is recovering from breast cancer. "This is nothing. Like I told my granddaughter, ‘We’re strong—and now we get all new things.’ I’m emotionally numb."
This article contains additional reporting by The Associated Press.
Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Matthew Robinson, Tony Phillips, Sam Wilson, Gray R. Thomas
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