Man accused of arson in the biggest of 3 major fires in Spokane, Washington

Aaron Farinacci, 37, was arrested late Monday afternoon in connection with the Old Trails Fire, the Spokane County sheriff said.

A 37-year-old Spokane, Washington, resident with a previous manslaughter conviction was arrested Monday in connection with the largest of the region’s three wildfires, which have displaced thousands of people and destroyed hundreds of structures, authorities said.

Aaron Farinacci, 37, was taken into custody without incident with the help of a SWAT team after a judge signed a warrant based on an allegation of first-degree arson, Spokane County Sheriff John Nowels said at an evening news conference.

Spokane County Sheriff John Nowels at a news conference in Spokane, Wash., on Monday.Farinacci was being held on $1 million bond, he said. It was unclear whether he has been formally charged or has a lawyer, and the Spokane County public defender’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment Monday night.

Farinacci was arrested after police said a witness reported seeing a man near the Old Trails Fire shortly before it started around 10 a.m. Saturday, Nowels said. The witness told police the man was looking into the trees and was later seen crouching at the side of a road near some grass, before he “stood up and looked very nervous” and walked away, Nowels said.

Deputies detained Farinacci the same day about a half-mile from where the fire started and questioned him, but he was ultimately released, Nowels said. He had waterproof matches and a butane lighter, which could have been used to spark the fires, Nowels said.