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Families lose everything from Spokane wildfires
An estimated 700 homes were lost in the Spokane Complex Fires, causing devastating damage and leaving many families wondering if their homes survived the fires.
SPOKANE, Wash. - The man accused of starting one of the major wildfires which have devastated Spokane that he had planned the arson for weeks.
Updated charging documents obtained by FOX 13 Seattle reveal that suspect Aaron Farinacci faces four additional charges of first-degree arson. These charges stem from fires set as far back as 2025.
According to those new court documents, suspect Aaron Farinacci told police investigators he had been planning what became the Old Trails Fire for "approximately two weeks" before Aug. 1. He also explained that he researched the weather app on his phone to pick a day that would have "high winds, low humidity […] high heat" — to create the most destruction, according to updated charging docs.
Farinacci was arrested Monday and initially booked on suspicion of first-degree arson in connection with the Old Trails Fire, the biggest of three blazes that have destroyed at least 700 buildings and forced tens of thousands of people from their homes. His bond was set at $1 million.
Aaron Farinacci (left), the suspect accused of starting the Old Trails Fire which has destroyed more than 200 homes in Spokane. (Spokane County Sheriff's Office, FOX 13 Seattle)
Spokane fires arson suspect planned for weeks
Farinacci told investigators that he researched a well-known serial arsonist, then purchased items to make a "time delay device" for sparking a wildfire: notebook paper, matches, a cigarette and a rubber band, court documents say.
"He feels fire is powerful, beautiful, and that things that go through fire experience a kind of rebirth," read the interview notes in the charging docs.
Spokane devastated by wildfires
According to numbers from Spokane County Superior Court, more than 400 homes have been destroyed by the Old Trails Fire, and more than 3,200 acres have burned.
Farinacci admitted to setting around 25 fires in the area, but it is not yet known if prosecutors will pursue charges regarding these other uncorroborated fires.
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The Source: Information in this story comes from the Associated Press as well as previous coverage from FOX 13 Seattle.