Man charged with arson in one of three wildfires torching Washington’s Spokane area

By CNN

Published August 4, 2026 3:46 AM

CNN, KREM, NEARMAP, SPOKANE COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE, STASIA HAZELWOOD, FACEBOOK , SPOKANE VALLEY FIRE DEPARTMENT, KHQ, KING, Facebook / Spokane Valley Fire Department

By Karina Tsui, CNN

(CNN) — A man has been charged with first-degree arson in connection with one of three wildfires ripping through eastern Washington state, Spokane County’s sheriff said, as firefighters race to contain infernos that have left a trail of destruction across the region.

Since igniting Saturday, the three fires in Spokane County have destroyed more than 700 structures and displaced tens of thousands of residents. Crews are scrambling to gain ground before temperatures climb back into the 90s later this week –– with dry heat potentially fueling even more dangerous conditions.

“The situation is dire,” Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson told CNN Monday evening. “These are neighborhoods in the city (of Spokane) that in large part have been just wiped out.”

Here’s what we know:

• Arson arrest: Aaron F. Farinacci, 37, was arrested Monday afternoon in connection with the Old Trails Fire and is being held on a $1 million bond, Spokane County Sheriff John Nowels said. He was first seen by a witness Saturday, kneeling near the site where the fire started, the sheriff said. Moments later, the witness saw smoke coming from the area and notified sheriff’s deputies. Law enforcement reached Farinacci in the area, and he was “detained, questioned and ultimately released,” Nowels said. At the time, he was found to be in possession of waterproof matches and a butane lighter, the sheriff said. Investigators later used body-worn camera footage of the encounter to build their case and obtained a warrant for his arrest on Monday.

• 10,000 acres torched: The trio of fires in Spokane – the Old Trails Fire, the Autumn Lane Fire, and the Fairview Fire – has consumed more than 10,000 acres and have no containment, according to Inciweb, a clearinghouse for wildfire information in the US. Across Washington state, roughly 5,000 people are responding to 17 major wildfires, with 262,000 acres of land on fire, said Dave Upthegrove, the state’s commissioner of public lands.

• Mass evacuations: In addition to hundreds of structures destroyed, about 10,000 more are at risk, officials said Monday. About 65,000 people had evacuated from their homes in Spokane County as of Monday, officials said. While fire officials have accounted for nearly everyone who called for help, they are still trying to reach 14 people, officials said early Tuesday. Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson emphasized those people are not considered “missing,” but officials want to make sure they’re OK. No injuries or deaths have been confirmed.

• Like “a war zone”: Areas ravaged by fires look like “a war zone,” said Maj. Gen. Gent Welsh, the adjutant general of the Washington National Guard. Aerial images obtained by CNN show entire residential blocks burned and the surrounding vegetation charred. It could take several weeks before people are allowed back home, Spokane Mayor Lisa Brown said.

• Voting in an evacuation zone: Ahead of the state’s primary elections Tuesday, Spokane officials said they made special accommodations to preserve access to ballot boxes for evacuees and others affected by the wildfires. At least one drop box, at Indian Trail Library, is within an evacuation zone and has been closed. Election officials are asking voters to visit nearby drop boxes outside of evacuation zones to drop off ballot packets.

CNN’s Elise Hammond, Chris Boyette, Julianna Bragg, Alisha Ebrahimji, Tyler Ory, Brianna Waxman, Dakota Smith, Matthew J. Friedman and Amanda Jackson contributed to this report.

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