Suspect arrested in Old Trails Fire as Spokane wildfires rage

Aaron Farinacci, 37, was arrested Monday, Aug. 4, 2026, on suspicion of first-degree arson after a witness said he was kneeling near the Old Trails Fire ignition site in Spokane County. Investigators said they later found matches and a lighter on him, and the bond was set at $1 million. The Old Trails Fire is the largest of three major wildfires burning around Spokane.

The arrest came as firefighters were still working to contain a fast-moving emergency that has forced more than 60,000 people to evacuate. Some reports put the number under evacuation orders at about 67,000. More than 700 structures have been destroyed, and nearly a quarter of Spokane’s residents have been displaced as neighborhoods across the region are left with ash, wrecked homes and uncertain returns.

Spokane County Sheriff Ozzie Knezovich said investigators have found no evidence linking Farinacci to the other wildfires burning in the region. Still, the case points to a deeper prevention failure: court documents say Farinacci had already been contacted over Spokane fires last year. That history raises the question of whether earlier fire-related contacts were shared quickly enough across deputies, fire investigators and prosecutors to identify a suspected repeat fire-setter before another ignition site was found during peak wildfire risk.

Farinacci also has a violent criminal history. Background reporting says he previously served prison time for killing his father in Arizona in 2010. The arson charge tied to the Old Trails Fire could carry up to life in prison if he is convicted, adding another high-stakes criminal case to a region already straining under multiple wildfires and mass displacement.