All articles tagged with #spokane
Nine days after the Old Trails Fire ripped through Spokane, containment is about 50% with no casualties reported as victims begin a long recovery—from displaced families to destroyed homes—while relief blooms through donations, fundraisers and community support, and a suspect is charged with arson.
A Spokane man, Aaron Farinacci, 37, is charged with five counts of first-degree arson after authorities say he admitted to starting more than two dozen wildfires near his Spokane residence since July 2025, including the Old Trails Fire that burned over 3,500 acres and destroyed more than 400 structures; prosecutors say he planned the fires to stretch firefighting resources, monitored weather and wildfire conditions, and investigators say more charges could follow as the case continues.
Wildfires in Spokane County destroyed 900+ structures and burned over 10,000 acres, triggering a multi-year rebuilding push that could strain an already tight housing market, lift prices and rents, and test builders, insurers, and government relief efforts; some survivors may relocate rather than rebuild, while officials push to speed permits and access Housing Trust Fund resources to accelerate recovery.
Spokane firefighters battled the Old Trails wildfire that ripped through West Plains neighborhoods, evacuations forced, as crews from the Spokane Fire Department and Spokane County Fire District 8 defended Loomis' home and surrounding streets for hours amid 50 mph winds, exploding gas lines, and blinding smoke, a chaotic, near-impossible fight that saved some houses but left widespread destruction and an emotional toll on responders.
Aaron Farinacci, who previously served time for fatally shooting his father, is identified by authorities as behind one of several Spokane-area wildfires; he told investigators that since his release in 2025 he has started about 25 fires in the Spokane region, as fire crews battle the blazes and investigators piece together a broader wave of arson in the area.
Three large fires burning in Spokane and Stevens counties held steady on Friday as firefighters tested containment lines during the first of two days of critical red-flag weather, with crews working to prevent growth amid dry, windy conditions.
Spokane, Washington faced unprecedented wildfires this summer, forcing about a quarter of the city’s 65,000 residents to evacuate as three large fires burn with under 40% containment. Roughly 900 buildings are believed destroyed, there have been no deaths or major injuries, and authorities have charged a suspect in an arson case connected to the fires while recovery begins amid forecasts of more dry, windy days.
Three wildfires in northwest Spokane, led by the Old Trails Fire, destroyed hundreds of homes in the Balboa neighborhood, with roughly 900 structures burned and about 67,000 residents evacuated. Firefighters from multiple states worked from a makeshift base at the fairgrounds as officials call it the region's worst natural disaster, while some residents return to salvage belongings. Authorities have arrested a suspect for allegedly starting the Old Trails Fire.
Spokane’s fast-spreading wildfires, driven by hotter, drier conditions, illustrate a broader rise in extreme Western fire seasons; scientists say climate change amplifies fire risk, turning urban areas into conflagrations and stressing firefighting resources, while authorities and residents seek policies and defenses to curb future disasters.
Three major wildfires in the Spokane area — Old Trails, Autumn Lane, and Fairview — have burned thousands of acres, prompted widespread evacuations, and drawn nearly 2,000 firefighters from 176 jurisdictions. As of Aug. 7, containment ranges from 5% to 13% across the fires (Old Trails and Autumn Lane about 13% containment; Fairview 5%), with roughly 10,436 total acres burned and hundreds of structures damaged. Evacuations remain in effect at multiple levels, a Red Flag Warning and air-quality alert persist due to wind and smoke, and investigators say an arson suspect linked to the Old Trails Fire has confessed to planning the blaze. Local agencies provide evacuation maps and resources for affected residents.
Police say Aaron Farinacci deliberately started the Old Trails Fire in Spokane on a dry, windy day, the largest of three blazes that have destroyed hundreds of buildings.
A Spokane man, Aaron Farinacci, 37, is suspected of starting the Old Trails Fire after telling investigators he waited for a hot, dry, windy day; he allegedly planned the blaze two weeks in advance, researched weather patterns and a time-delay ignition, and claimed responsibility for about 25 other fires. Bond was raised to $2 million and a mental competency evaluation ordered as the case proceeds. The fires around Spokane forced more than 60,000 residents to evacuate and destroyed more than 700 buildings, with no deaths or injuries reported; authorities are trying to contact 14 people still unreachable.
Aaron Farinacci, 37, confessed to planning the Old Trails blaze two weeks ahead and starting about 25 fires near his Spokane River-area home (four corroborated); the Old Trails fire destroyed at least 700 homes, bond was raised to $2 million, and a competency evaluation was ordered.
A Spokane man charged with arson told police he had planned the wildfire for weeks, according to investigators, with the admission forming part of the ongoing case into the blaze.
Aaron F. Farinacci, 37, faces a first-degree arson charge in connection with the Old Trails Fire in Spokane County, part of the Spokane Complex Fires, and is due in court for arraignment; the fires have destroyed over 800 structures and forced thousands to evacuate; Farinacci was identified by a witness near the fire’s origin, arrested days later, and held on $1 million bail, with investigators previously questioning him about other fires.