Man arrested in connection with massive Spokane County wildfire

Aaron Farinacci, 37, was arrested late Monday afternoon in connection with the Old Trails Fire, as Spokane County confronted a wildfire emergency that had already forced evacuations and destroyed hundreds of structures. Sheriff John Nolles said the Old Trails Fire was the largest of three major fires burning in the county, alongside the Autumn Lane Fire and the Fairview Fire.

By Aug. 2, the Old Trails Fire had destroyed at least 640 structures. Across eastern Washington, fires had burned 600 structures and forced the evacuation of 5,000 homes, showing how quickly the danger spread beyond a single burn area. The Old Trails Fire near Spokane had grown to about 2,500 acres by Saturday evening and had pushed north of Airway Heights, where an evacuation shelter opened for evacuees.

Large parts of Spokane were under Level 3 evacuation orders, meaning residents were told to leave immediately. Spokane declared a state of emergency as strong winds and soaring temperatures drove the fire north and east from brush and grass in an open area toward residential neighborhoods. The combination of wind, heat and dry fuels turned a fire that started in open ground into a direct threat to homes, roads and evacuation routes.

The arrest answered one piece of the investigation but did not change the immediate public-safety stakes. Fire crews, police officers and city officials were still managing evacuations and structure losses across Spokane County as the fire emergency continued. In a county already dealing with three major fires, every new callout meant more resources pulled from suppression, traffic control and shelter operations.

At an Aug. 2 press conference, Mayor Lisa Brown, Nolles, Police Chief Kevin Hall, council president Betsy Wilkerson, council members Kitty Klitsky and Zach Sapone, state senator Marcus Rachelli and assistant fire chief Lance Dah all addressed the response as the wildfire crisis remained centered on lives, homes and access to safe escape routes.