Spokane Arson Suspect in Old Trails Fire Faces First-Degree Charge

Aaron Farinacci, a 37-year-old Spokane resident, was arrested and charged with first-degree arson in the Old Trails Fire, the first of three Spokane-area wildfires that forced mass evacuations. Investigators link the blaze to a location where a witness saw Farinacci kneeling, and officials say ignition was consistent with a lighter or a match. Farinacci, who denies starting the fire, has a violent-crime history including a 2010 fatal shooting of his father and a 2012 manslaughter sentence, and he was released from prison in December 2020. He is being held on a $1 million bond ahead of an arraignment.