37-year-old Aaron Farinacci will go to trial in connection with one of the large wildfires that broke out in Washington state in the northwestern United States. As noted in documents from the Spokane County Sheriff's Office, during interrogation the man, who had previously served time in prison for the murder of his father, admitted that he carefully planned the crime and deliberately set the forest on fire.
As RTVI reported, more than a dozen large fires in Washington burned a total of approximately 250,000 acres (about 100,000 hectares), which led to the declaration of a state of emergency throughout the state. There were three fires in Spokane County, one of which police say was started by Farinacci, who was arrested.
“He studied the weather forecast to select a day with “high winds, low humidity and high temperatures.” He researched the background of notorious serial arsonist John Leonard Orr and researched and acquired materials to construct a “time delay device” to start a wildfire using notebook paper, matches, a cigarette and an eraser,” sheriff’s office documents state.
Law enforcement officials reported that a pensioner who was driving with his grandson in a car helped track Farinacci. Paul Child saw a “nervous” man looking at the trees. Soon, the Old Trails fire was detected in the same place, which, according to CBS News, led to the mass evacuation of local residents and the destruction of 913 buildings.
A Washington grandfather spotted a bald stranger bent over in the brush near railroad tracks on a dead-end road where almost nobody goes. Minutes later, a massive cloud of smoke rose from the exact same spot — and the Old Trails Fire was born.
Paul Child called 911, described… pic.twitter.com/lObUcO6699
— Fox News US (@FoxUSNews) August 6, 2026
Farinacci himself first denied during interrogation his involvement in the incident, and then admitted that he had lit a fire in that place. He understood the scale of the potential fire, but he said he “didn’t want the fire to get that big,” court records say.
“He believes that fire is powerful and beautiful, and everything that passes through it seems to be reborn,” law enforcement officers added following interrogations.
Farinacci moved into the Copper River apartment complex in the Spokane area in October 2022, detectives said. Later in 2025, his son was born and problems with “life issues” began, which led to drug use. The man is also accused of setting fires that have sparked several other fires in the state in recent years.
Farinacci previously served about ten years in prison for the murder of his father in Mesa (Arizona) in 2010, writes the Associated Press (AP). This happened as a result of a quarrel over unwashed dishes. He fatally wounded his parent and then shot himself in the chest, but survived. He was charged with premeditated murder but pleaded guilty in 2012 to manslaughter and aggravated assault. Farinacci's lawyer repeatedly raised the issue of his mental health during the trial, AP adds.
Farinacci was scheduled to be charged Thursday, Aug. 6, with five counts of first-degree arson, but his defense attorney asked for a competency evaluation. Spokane Superior Court Judge Jeremy Schmidt said he would consider the request. He set bail at $2 million, ruling that the man was a threat to society, a flight risk and a violent offender.
