Bond rises to $2 million for Spokane wildfire suspect

A Washington state judge raised bond to $2 million for a 37-year-old man accused of starting the largest of three wildfires burning around Spokane, after investigators said he waited for a hot, dry and windy day to ignite the blaze and later claimed responsibility for 25 other fires in the area over the past year.

Aaron Farinacci appeared in Spokane County Superior Court on Thursday on arson charges tied to the Old Trails Fire, which began Aug. 1 and is still burning. No plea was entered, and the court ordered a mental competency evaluation. He had initially been held on $1 million bond.

The Old Trails Fire is the largest of the three “Spokane complex” fires that have swept through the outskirts of Washington’s second-largest city, forcing more than 60,000 people to evacuate and destroying more than 700 buildings. Nearly a quarter of Spokane’s population was ordered to leave. No deaths or injuries have been confirmed, though authorities said they are trying to contact 14 people they have not been able to reach by mobile phone. Those people are not yet considered missing.

According to a court affidavit released Wednesday, Farinacci told investigators he planned the Old Trails Fire two weeks in advance. “He researched his weather app to predict a day that would have ‘high winds, low humidity, sort of high heat,’” the affidavit said.

Court documents said Farinacci knew Spokane County was under a red flag warning, issued by the National Weather Service when low humidity and strong winds create dangerous fire conditions. Investigators said he lit a homemade ignition device and placed it in grass, telling them that with the strong gusts he observed, if he started a fire it “was gonna get bad.”

Detectives also said Farinacci researched John Leonard Orr, a former fire captain and well-known arsonist who set roughly 2,000 fires in Southern California, in order to create a “time-delay device” for igniting the blaze.

Three people reported seeing Farinacci near the fire’s starting point, according to the affidavit. When questioned, he initially denied responsibility. Investigators said he had considered drawing a knife if confronted by police so officers would shoot him, but instead decided to feign innocence.

Farinacci told investigators he had been struggling with “life issues” since the birth of his son in 2025, according to court records, and had become fascinated with fires and arsonists. The affidavit said he described fire as “powerful” and “beautiful” and said things that go through fire experience “a kind of rebirth.” He allegedly began setting fires in July 2025 and had set 25 by the following month, including five in a 24-hour period in an effort to overwhelm fire suppression efforts.

In court Thursday, Farinacci appeared emotional, keeping his head down and rubbing his eyes as the judge set bond and remanded him to custody. The Spokane County Sheriff said after his Monday arrest that Farinacci had been seen kneeling near grass at the fire site and was later found with matches and a lighter.

The other two Spokane-area fires were also started by people, investigators have said, though not necessarily deliberately. They remain under investigation.

The Guardian reported that Farinacci previously pleaded guilty in 2012 to manslaughter and aggravated assault after fatally shooting his father, citing Maricopa County court records.

As of Wednesday, the Old Trails Fire was 5% contained, according to National Interagency Fire Center data. Firefighters have established containment lines around all three Spokane fires and are working to reinforce them as hotter, drier and breezier weather returns.

Across Washington, 16 uncontained wildfires have burned more than 672 square miles and are being fought by more than 7,000 fire personnel, said Thomas Kyle-Milward, a spokesperson for the Washington Department of Natural Resources. “We’re looking down the barrel at one of the worst fire seasons in state history,” he said.