Wildfire Horror: Ex-Con Back In Flames

A man once convicted of killing his own father now stands accused of touching off a monster wildfire that turned parts of Spokane into a war zone.

Story Snapshot

Deputies arrested 37-year-old Spokane resident Aaron F. Farinacci on suspicion of first-degree arson in the Old Trails Fire.
The Old Trails Fire is the largest of three Spokane-area blazes that destroyed hundreds of buildings and forced mass evacuations.
A witness placed Farinacci at the roadside ignition point, and detectives say they matched that to the fire’s origin.
Farinacci has a prior manslaughter conviction in Arizona for killing his father, shaping public reaction to the arrest.

An arrest at the center of Spokane’s worst wildfire disaster

Spokane County deputies say they finally have a suspect for the Old Trails Fire, the biggest of three wildfires that ripped through the region and destroyed hundreds of homes and other buildings. Investigators arrested 37-year-old Spokane resident Aaron F. Farinacci around 5 p.m. on a single count of first-degree arson after a judge signed an arrest warrant. Sheriff John Nowels said Farinacci is being held on one million dollars bail as crews still battle the damage left behind.

The Old Trails Fire began late Saturday morning near a roadside area north and west of Spokane and grew fast in dry, windy conditions. By the time flames slowed, the blaze had turned neighborhoods into rubble and forced tens of thousands of people to flee their homes, packing shelters and parking lots with stunned families. More than six hundred structures, many of them houses, are gone, leaving a trail of ash, scrap metal, and burned-out cars.

What investigators say tied Farinacci to the Old Trails Fire

Deputies say the first break came from a citizen who saw something that did not look right near the spot where the fire started. The witness reported a man looking into the trees, then crouching near roadside grass before standing up, appearing nervous, and walking away. That exact area later became the point where fire investigators say the Old Trails blaze first ignited, giving detectives a time, a place, and a rough description to work with.

Law enforcement officers contacted Farinacci near the scene on Saturday after that report, but they released him after initial questions. Over the next day, major crimes detectives and state fire investigators reviewed witness statements and mapped the burn pattern back to the origin. Sheriff Nowels said they then “determined that the origin of the fire was indeed exactly where the witnesses had seen Mr. Farinacci kneeling in the grass.” When they later arrested him in Spokane, deputies say he had waterproof matches and a butane lighter that could have started the fire.

From killing his father to facing a new violent allegation

The arrest hit Spokane harder when people learned this was not Farinacci’s first deadly case. Court records show he was previously convicted of manslaughter in Arizona after shooting and killing his own father during a fight that reportedly started over dirty dishes. That killing was first charged as murder before a grand jury indictment led to the manslaughter conviction instead, but for many residents, the bottom line is simple: a man who once killed a family member now stands accused of burning down parts of a community.

Local and national outlets quickly grabbed onto that history, and social media lit up with anger and dark questions: why was a man with a violent record free in the first place, and could tougher sentencing or stricter supervision have prevented the Spokane disaster? That reaction lines up with common conservative concerns about repeat offenders and lenient courts. When people see hundreds of families lose their homes and then hear the suspect had already taken a life, they question a system that let him walk the streets at all.

What is known, what is not, and why it matters

Despite the strong language in the arrest narrative, this case is still at the early stage. Farinacci has been booked on suspicion of first-degree arson, but he has not been convicted in the Old Trails Fire. Prosecutors say the investigation remains active, and they have not released the probable cause affidavit or detailed forensic report that lay out every step from witness tip to ignition proof. Fire officials also say the causes of the other two Spokane-area fires are still under review.

Arson arrest after monster wildfire tears through Spokane, destroying 700 buildings

Authorities say they’ve arrested 37-year-old Aaron F. Farinacci, who is suspected of intentionally starting one of the devastating wildfires burning around Spokane, Washington. -The Independent pic.twitter.com/OSIoZJ134D

— ˶˃ News Reader Cat 📰🗞️NO DMs˂˶ (@typocatCAv2) August 4, 2026

Wildfire arson cases often lean heavily on circumstantial evidence, which is one reason they draw strong feelings and hard legal fights. Here, the public record shows a citizen witness, a suspect near the scene, matches and a lighter, and a burn pattern that points to the same patch of grass. For many Americans, that chain looks like common-sense proof and fits their belief that personal responsibility must carry serious consequences, especially when entire neighborhoods are turned to ash.