A convicted felon once tied to a killing now stands accused of lighting one of Spokane’s worst wildfires as thousands of his neighbors flee for their lives.
Story Snapshot
- Deputies arrested 37-year-old Aaron F. Farinacci on suspicion of first-degree arson in the Old Trails Fire.
- The Old Trails Fire is the largest of several blazes that destroyed hundreds of structures around Spokane.
- A citizen’s tip about a “nervous” man near dry grass helped investigators zero in on the suspect.
- Farinacci is a convicted felon with a past manslaughter conviction in Arizona.
Arson arrest in the middle of a wildfire disaster
Spokane County law enforcement moved from fire response to criminal investigation in a matter of hours. The Old Trails Fire, reported around midday on August 1 near Old Trails Road and Euclid Road north of Airway Heights, became the largest of three major blazes tearing through the region.
Flames raced through homes, shops, and outbuildings. By Monday, officials said hundreds of structures were destroyed and tens of thousands of people had evacuated across Spokane County.
A man has been arrested on a charge of arson in the first degree in connection with the Old Trails Fire in eastern Washington, according to police. The fire is one of three major fires burning in Spokane County. Fire officials have said the causes of the fires are unknown, and th pic.twitter.com/gb4gh0G4p6
— 41NBC / WMGT-DT (@41NBC) August 4, 2026
As crews fought to hold fire lines, Major Crimes detectives and state fire investigators focused on where the Old Trails Fire started and who might have lit it.
The Spokane County Sheriff’s Office now says they developed probable cause that Aaron F. Farinacci intentionally set the fire and obtained both an arrest warrant and a search warrant for his home on West Elliott Drive. Deputies and a small team of special weapons and tactics officers served the warrant and arrested him without incident.
How a citizen tip turned into a first-degree arson case
The case against Farinacci began with one person paying close attention. A community member saw a nervous-looking man crouched near roadside grass close to the eventual fire origin point and called authorities.
Deputies detained Farinacci soon after and found he had matches and a butane lighter on him, but they released him after initial questioning. That might sound odd, yet it fits common practice: officers need more than suspicion and a lighter to hold someone on a serious felony.
Detectives later reviewed body camera footage, written reports, and fire scene information. According to Sheriff John Nowels, they concluded the fire started in the same spot where the witness had seen Farinacci by the roadside. That link between a specific ignition area and a named person is the backbone of most arson cases.
Investigators still have to rule out accidents, lightning, equipment failures, or other causes, but when someone is seen alone in dry grass, holding ignition tools, minutes before flames appear, common sense lines up with the technical fire work.
Wildfire destruction, public anger, and a familiar criminal record
The timing of this arrest hits a raw nerve. Spokane residents are watching neighborhoods burn while hearing that at least one fire may have been set on purpose.
The Old Trails Fire is one of several that officials say have devastated both Spokane County and the city itself, leaving families with nothing but ashes and smoke-filled skies. People see long lines of evacuees and charred foundations, then learn that a man with a violent past is accused of lighting the match.
Reporters quickly found that Farinacci is not a blank slate. He is a convicted felon with a manslaughter conviction in Arizona tied to the 2010 killing of his father.
Arizonan records show he was first charged with first-degree murder, but that charge was dropped after a grand jury indictment and he later pleaded guilty to manslaughter. To many, this reads like another example of a system that too often softens charges and then watches the same people cycle back through after fresh harm.
What first-degree arson means and what comes next
First-degree arson is one of the most serious property crimes. In Washington, it usually means prosecutors believe a person knowingly started a fire that put lives at risk or targeted an occupied building. It is treated more like a violent act than simple vandalism because fire does not respect property lines.
One spark can trap a family in a car, block a hospital route, or take out a whole street. That is why Farinacci now faces a potential long prison term if a jury agrees with the evidence.
For now, this case sits in the early stage. Investigators say the Old Trails Fire has been ruled arson, and they describe citizen tips and officer work as “extremely valuable” in reaching Monday’s arrest. The Sheriff’s Office also notes that the cause and origin investigations for two other major fires, the Autumn Lane and Fairview fires, remain open.
That means more suspects, more hard questions, and more pressure on a justice system that must balance fair trials with the public’s demand for strong consequences when someone turns a county into a tinderbox.
