A Spokane County man accused of igniting the destructive Old Trails Fire saw his bail increased to $2 million Thursday, after prosecutors added four more arson charges and alleged he admitted to setting 25 fires across the area since 2025.
Court records reviewed by News Outlet say Aaron Forrest Farinacci, 37, also told investigators he watched weather apps to find favorable fire-starting conditions and checked the forecast while building a delayed ignition device used to spark the Old Trails Fire.
At Thursday’s hearing, Judge Jeremy Schmidt determined there was probable cause to charge Farinacci with four additional counts of first-degree arson tied to fires prosecutors say were set beginning last summer.
The affidavit states Farinacci first denied any role in the Old Trails Fire during a 90-minute interrogation after his Aug. 3 arrest, but later admitted he planned and set the blaze.
Firefighters respond to a wildfire near Spokane, Washington, on Aug. 2, 2026. (South Pend Oreille Fire Rescue / FOX Weather)
Detectives said they also found corroborating evidence connecting Farinacci to several other fires, including the Aubrey White, Copper River/Meenach, Fort George and Indian Bluff fires.
Spokane County Prosecutor Preston McCollam urged the court to raise the bond, telling the judge, “I am asking the court to increase bail or bond in this amount to $2 million, given the gravity of these charges, given the addition of four separate arson counts.”
The Old Trails Fire destroyed hundreds of buildings in and around Spokane, Washington, before investigators arrested Aaron F. Farinacci on suspicion of first-degree arson. (AP Images ; Arizona Department of Corrections)
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The judge agreed, noting, “The amount, as requested by Prosecutor McCollam, is appropriate.”
The arraignment was also delayed Thursday after Farinacci’s defense requested a mental competency evaluation to determine whether he is fit to stand trial.
The expanded charges come amid widespread destruction caused by the Old Trails Fire, which started Aug. 1.
The blaze burned more than 3,200 acres, destroyed about 700 homes and other structures and forced the evacuation of more than 60,000 residents.
A woman mourns next to a deceased dog at a burned home during the Old Trails fire in Spokane, Washington on August 4, 2026. (Josh Edelson / AFP via Getty Images)
Court documents also show Farinacci eventually admitted to planning the Old Trails Fire for two weeks.
The documents say he built a time-delay device from paper, matches, cigarettes and rubber bands modeled after one used by serial arsonist John Leonard Orr.
Documents also allege Farinacci deliberately ignited simultaneous fires at other times to distract and thin out emergency response crews.
Background checks also showed a prior conviction for manslaughter after he fatally shot his father in Arizona in 2010. He served about a decade in prison after pleading guilty in 2012 to manslaughter and aggravated assault.
