A man has been arrested on suspicion of deliberately starting one of the destructive wildfires that tore through parts of Washington, flattening neighborhoods, burning hundreds of homes and sending tens of thousands of residents fleeing for safety.
Officials said Monday that 37-year-old Aaron Forrest Farinacci was taken into custody in connection with the fast-moving Old Trails Fire, among several wildfires that erupted near Spokane over the weekend, according to the Associated Press.
The Spokane County Sheriff’s Office said Farinacci was booked on suspicion of arson and is being held on a $1 million bond. It was not immediately clear whether he had hired an attorney.
Investigators suspect the Old Trails Fire was intentionally set after a witness reported seeing a man looking into a wooded area shortly before smoke began to rise.
Authorities said deputies found Farinacci less than a mile from where the fire started. At the time of his arrest, he allegedly had waterproof matches and a butane lighter in his possession.
The case remains under investigation, and officials said more criminal charges may follow. Authorities also disclosed that Farinacci has a significant criminal history.
Court records cited by local outlet NonStop Local show he was initially charged with first-degree murder in the 2010 killing of his father in Arizona.
That murder charge was later dismissed after a grand jury indictment, and Farinacci pleaded guilty in 2012 to manslaughter and aggravated assault.
The Old Trails Fire ignited Saturday and quickly became one of the most destructive fires in Washington history as powerful winds, drought conditions and extreme heat fueled explosive growth.
Together with several other major fires burning around Spokane, the blazes have destroyed at least 700 structures, scorched roughly 12.5 square miles and prompted evacuation orders affecting about 67,000 people.
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Residents allowed back into some neighborhoods Monday were met with scenes of almost unimaginable destruction. Entire streets had been reduced to ash, with burned-out vehicles, twisted metal and collapsed homes stretching block after block. In many cases, only brick chimneys remained standing.
“There’s nothing to save,” 76-year-old Miriam Sim said while surveying the remains of the home she and her husband had lived in for more than two decades.
“At our age, do we want to rebuild?” her husband, Daniel Sim, asked.
Officials said more than 1,000 firefighters from Washington and neighboring states have been deployed, with additional crews expected to arrive as firefighters battle several uncontained blazes across the region.
Authorities said calmer weather on Monday helped slow the fires, though hotter, drier conditions are forecast to return later this week.
Despite the widespread destruction, authorities said no deaths or major injuries had been reported.
The Spokane County Sheriff’s Office initially received nearly 300 reports of missing people following the chaotic evacuations, but by Monday evening all but 14 had been resolved. Officials believe the remaining reports are likely people who have simply not yet checked in with loved ones.
Washington’s entire congressional delegation has asked President Donald Trump to approve an expedited emergency declaration, warning that “hundreds of people have completely lost their homes and farms, and many are prohibited from returning to their homes or neighborhoods as crews continue to extinguish smoldering embers.”
The Old Trails Fire was among multiple fast-moving wildfires that erupted during what state officials have described as an unprecedented fire emergency.
Gov. Bob Ferguson declared a statewide wildfire emergency over the weekend as dangerous winds, severe drought and historically dry conditions combined to create explosive fire behavior across eastern Washington.
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