January 1, ARSON ARREST: Convicted Felon Charged After Fire Destroys Hundreds of Homes

Wyatt’s Take

• A convicted felon from Arizona has been arrested for allegedly starting the Old Trails Fire that destroyed hundreds of homes and forced 67,000 Americans to evacuate
• Aaron Farinacci was caught with a butane lighter and waterproof matches — authorities are investigating whether he’s connected to other fires
• While hardworking families lost everything, this career criminal allegedly played with matches and watched it burn

A 37-year-old convicted felon has been arrested on first-degree arson charges after allegedly starting one of the devastating wildfires that has destroyed hundreds of structures and displaced tens of thousands of people in Spokane, Washington.

Aaron F. Farinacci was taken into custody Monday after Spokane County Sheriff’s Office detectives and Washington Department of Natural Resources investigators developed probable cause to arrest him, according to authorities. He’s being held on $1 million bond.

Citizen tips and quick work by local law enforcement helped lead investigators to Farinacci, the sheriff’s office said. Airway Heights police officers and Spokane County sheriff’s deputies who responded to the initial call and conducted evacuations provided crucial information.

Authorities described Farinacci as a convicted felon from Arizona but said they found no documented criminal history involving fires. Yet.

Investigators have not connected Farinacci to the two other major blazes burning in the area — the Autumn Lane and Fairview fires — but they’re looking into it, officials said.

“We will be looking into any other crimes Mr. Farinacci may have committed in the past,”

Spokane County Sheriff John Nowels said during a news briefing.

Nowels said first-degree arson was the charge supported by probable cause at that stage of the investigation. He cautioned that the case could change as authorities gathered additional evidence.

Detectives obtained an arrest warrant for Farinacci and a search warrant for his residence in the 2800 block of West Elliott Drive, according to the sheriff’s office. Deputies served the warrant Monday and arrested Farinacci without incident.

Here’s the kicker: Authorities said detectives found a butane lighter and waterproof matches while detaining and searching him. Waterproof matches — because regular matches apparently weren’t reliable enough for whatever he was planning.

The Old Trails Fire was first reported Saturday near North Old Trails Road and West Euclid Road. It became the largest of three destructive fires burning around Spokane and remained uncontained Monday, according to authorities.

The three fires had collectively destroyed at least 700 structures and prompted evacuation orders affecting approximately 67,000 people as of Monday. More than 1,000 firefighters were battling the blazes.

Washington Governor Bob Ferguson declared a statewide wildfire emergency Saturday amid drought, unusually high temperatures and strong winds. The declaration also imposed a statewide prohibition on most outdoor and agricultural burning through September 30.

While Mother Nature created the conditions, it allegedly took a convicted felon with a lighter to turn those conditions into a disaster that destroyed 700 homes and displaced 67,000 Americans. Families lost everything they worked their entire lives to build.

Wyatt Matters

When wildfires devastate American communities, we’re always told it’s about climate change or dry conditions. But sometimes it’s just a criminal with a lighter and bad intentions. While hardworking families were running for their lives and watching their homes burn, this convicted felon was allegedly playing arsonist. Seven hundred structures destroyed. Sixty-seven thousand people forced to evacuate. These aren’t just statistics — they’re our neighbors, families who built their lives in these communities. They deserve justice, and they deserve to know that the people responsible will be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law.