Updated

Updated · CNN · Aug 9

Spokane Charges Aaron Farinacci in 3,500-Acre Fire After Confession to 25 Other Blazes

Updated

Updated · CNN · Aug 9

Spokane Charges Aaron Farinacci in 3,500-Acre Fire After Confession to 25 Other Blazes

Q: What crucial clue did a single witness near the railroad tracks provide to unmask the arson suspect?

The key clue was the witness’s detailed description of a suspicious man seen at the fire’s apparent point of origin just before smoke appeared. Paul Child told investigators he saw a bald man in a green T-shirt with a backpack lingering near the railroad tracks on West Euclid Road. When Child drove by again minutes later, he said the man was bent over in the bushes and tree line, appeared nervous when noticed, and was in the exact area where the Old Trails Fire soon began. That description gave deputies a specific person to look for and a location tied to the fire’s start. Child, his grandson and another child later identified the detained man as the same person they had seen. Authorities said that tip helped lead them to Aaron Farinacci.

3 articles · Updated · CNN · Aug 9

Five first-degree arson counts now accuse Aaron Farinacci, 37, of setting the Old Trails Fire and four earlier Spokane-area blazes after investigators say he admitted to about 25 fires since July 2025.
Court filings say he planned the Old Trails blaze for two weeks, tracked red-flag weather, built a time-delay ignition device and chose a spot where wind and fuel would drive rapid spread.
A witness who saw a man near the ignition point before smoke rose helped lead deputies to Farinacci, and investigators later ruled out trains and power lines as causes, according to the affidavit.
The Old Trails Fire has burned more than 3,500 acres, destroyed more than 400 structures and was 43% contained Sunday; three August 1 Spokane-area fires together have scorched more than 10,300 acres.
Across Spokane, the fires have damaged more than 900 structures and displaced tens of thousands, underscoring the wider toll as prosecutors say more charges could follow and a competency evaluation is being sought.