Spokane Wildfire Update: Arson Suspect Charged with Four More Felony Counts; Firefighting Crews in Eastern Washington Persist With Rescue Operations

Spokane Wildfire Update: Last week, Aaron Farinacci was arrested in connection with the Old Trails blaze. Now, Farinacci has been saddled with 4 additional felony charges. Progress has been made with regards to all 3 wildfirs in the city.

Spokane Wildfire Update: Arson Suspect Charged with Four More Felony Counts

Aaron Farinnaci, a Spokane local was arrested last week on suspicion of starting one of the three fires in the city. Now, he has been charged with 4 more felony counts by prosecutors after he admitted to lighting 25 fires in his neighbourhood since July 2025. Local authorities successfully verified 4 of those. 

The added counts cover the Aubrey White fire, which burned more than 1,200 acres in July 2025; a second blaze two days later within five miles of it; the Equestrian Fire that August; and the Indian Bluff Fire last month. Prosecutors said the charges “may be further amended as the full extent of the defendant’s criminal acts becomes known. 

It is important to note that Farinacci, 37, is a man with a criminal past and he previously served a multi-year prison sentence following a 2010 manslaughter conviction in Arizona involving the death of his father. Currently, he is under a maximum security cell at the Spokane County Jail. 

Spokane Wildfire Update:  Firefighting Crews in Eastern Washington Persist With Rescue Operations

Firefighting crews across Eastern Washington are aggressively continuing rescue and containment operations . The 3 wildfires have harmed the city’s air quality and caused evacuations in many zones.

Among them, the Old Trails wildfire is at 3,561 acres and 43% containment. The Autumn Lane wildfire has reached 47% containment and the Fairview faire has been contained by 31%. Level 3 evacuation orders have been maintained for all high risk zones in the city.

Spokane Wildfire Update: What Happened? 

Last week, 3 separate wildfires erupted in the vicinity of Spokane, Washington state’s second biggest city. They destroyed over 700 structures in Spokane County and have forced the evacuation of over 65, 000 people. The wildfires  burned through 8000 acres in the region.  

Spokane Wildfire Update: Cause of the Wildfire 

The fire in Spokane’s Old Trails was caused by arson. Local authorities have arrested Aaron Farinacci in connection with the blaze. A cause for the other 2 wildfires in Fairview and Autumn Lane has not been shared. However, ongoing conditions like warm and dry weather along and highly flammable grass likely worsened things. Investigators have not ruled out the possibility of arson in either of those.