Suspect charged in Spokane Complex Fires

SPOKANE — Aaron F. Farinacci, of Spokane, Washington, was arrested Monday, August 3, 2026. He has been charged with first-degree arson in connection with the Old Trails fire, the largest of three wildfires in the region, and held on a $1 million bond, according to the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office.

Spokane County Sheriff John Nowels said a witness driving near the area where the Old Trail Fire is believed to have started, reported seeing a man “bending down” near the grass and standing up, looking “very nervous.” The witness had contacted police after seeing smoke rise from the same area.

Farinacci was found with waterproof matches and a butane lighter when he was arrested. The fire, first reported on Saturday afternoon, had burned over 700 structures with around 65,000 people under evacuation orders by Monday.

The three fires, Autumn Lane, Fairview, and Old Trail, are located northwest of Spokane and remained 0% contained as of Tuesday, August 4. The origins of the Autumn and Fairview fires are not known at this time.

The Pacific Northwest has been in a drought since May. Washington State Gov. Bob Ferguson declared a statewide state of emergency on Saturday due to the drought, high temperatures, and high winds. Fire weather conditions have improved slightly, allowing firefighters to make progress since the weekend’s high winds. A heat advisory remains in effect for much of the Columbia River Basin, further drying the terrain.

Smoke in the Pacific Northwest continues to be a problem with air quality alerts posted for Washington, Oregon, and Idaho. On Tuesday, most of Eastern Washington had Air Quality Index alerts of 150, categorized as unhealthy.

AirNow.gov recommends these precautions for residents in areas affected by Unhealthy AQI levels above 150.

People with heart or lung disease, older adults, children and teens – take any of these steps to reduce your exposure:

Avoid strenuous outdoor activities.

Keep outdoor activities short.

Consider moving physical activities indoors or rescheduling them.

Everyone else should take any of these steps to reduce their exposure:

Choose less strenuous activities (like walking instead of running) so you don’t breathe as hard.

Shorten the amount of time you are active outdoors. 

Be active outdoors when air quality is better.