Spokane wildfire arson suspect waited for dry, windy day to start blaze, police say

A man arrested on suspicion of starting a large wildfire in Spokane, Washington told investigators he waited for a hot, dry, and windy day to light the blaze, according to newly released court documents.

Aaron Farinacci, 37, also allegedly claimed responsibility for 25 other fires set in the area over the last year.

He appeared in court for the second time on Thursday, with a county judge raising his bond to $2m (£1.6m). No plea was entered and a mental competency evaluation was ordered.

The Spokane fire is the largest of three burning around the north-western US state’s second-most-populous city, forcing more than 60,000 people to evacuate and destroying more than 700 buildings.

Nearly a quarter of the Spokane population was forced to evacuate the wildfires, which swept through the outskirts of the city over the weekend.

No deaths or injuries have been confirmed. Authorities are trying to make contact with 14 people they have been unable to reach by mobile phone but are not yet considered missing.

In an affidavit released on Wednesday, investigators testified that Farinacci admitted in a police interview to having planned the fire, known as 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.

Detectives also believe the suspect researched a well-known arsonist in order to create a “time-delay device” for igniting the fire.

Farinacci had been struggling since the birth of his son in May 2025, according to the affidavit, and became fascinated with fires and arsonists. He allegedly started setting fires in July 2025 – setting 25 by the following month.

“He feels that fire is powerful, beautiful, and that things that go through fire experience a kind of rebirth,” the affidavit states, adding that Farinacci said he knew the blaze “was gonna get bad” but didn’t intend for it to get as large as it did.

In court on Thursday, the suspect appeared to be emotional, keeping his head down and rubbing his eyes as the judge set his bond and remanded him back into police custody.

Farinacci was allegedly seen kneeling near grass at the site of the latest blaze and was later found to have matches and a lighter, the Spokane County Sheriff said when he was arrested on Monday.

Many people were shocked, especially after it was revealed the suspect was previously linked to two other fire investigations last year.

Some told the BBC they do not have the emotional energy to be angry at the suspect, and are more focused on healing from their own psychological trauma.

Others said they found “closure” in knowing the fire was intentional and not something that, after a lengthy investigation, could ultimately be attributed to a freak accident or a natural ignition.

“I hope that if it’s proven that he did do this, I hope the punishment will fit the crime,” says Matt Kincanon, who lost his home in the Old Trails Fire.

“Because what he allegedly did turned over the lives of so many people.”