re: Potential high impact wildfire just NW of Spokane, WA. Neighborhoods already impacted

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He lives in Indian Trail, looks like they were pretty lucky.

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Yeah, he was. Parts of that area got wiped out. Good to hear he wasn't one of them.

Arson suspect was arrested earlier this evening.

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BREAKING:

Authorities have arrested a convicted felon in connection with the catastrophic wildfire that has destroyed hundreds of homes and scorched thousands of acres across the Spokane region.

During a Monday evening press conference, Spokane County Sheriff John Nowels announced the arrest of 37-year-old Aaron Farinacci, who now faces an arson charge and is being held on a $1 million bond.

According to investigators, a witness reported seeing Farinacci acting suspiciously in a wooded area shortly before smoke began rising from the location where the Old Trails Fire is believed to have started. Deputies initially questioned and released him that day, noting he was carrying waterproof matches and a butane lighter. After gathering additional evidence, detectives established probable cause that Farinacci was kneeling in the grass at the fire’s point of origin before the blaze erupted.

Farinacci is no stranger to law enforcement. He was previously convicted of manslaughter in Arizona, raising fresh questions about why violent repeat offenders continue to find themselves back on America’s streets.

The Old Trails Fire ignited Saturday afternoon near Airway Heights before racing through Riverside State Park and into residential neighborhoods in north Spokane. The fire has destroyed entire neighborhoods, forced thousands of residents to evacuate, and contributed to what officials describe as the nation’s highest wildfire priority.

As of Monday evening, the fires around Spokane had burned more than 10,000 acres. Sheriff Nowels emphasized that investigators have found no evidence linking Farinacci to the other wildfires currently burning in the region.

For the families who have lost homes, businesses, and communities, the arrest marks an important step toward accountability—but it cannot undo the devastation left in the fire’s wake.

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It sounds like they have a good amount of evidences against him, which is needed. Arson cases, particularly wildfire ones, are notoriously difficult to get convictions on, just ask the prosecutors on the Palisades Fire case. This sounds like they have a decent shot at it.