Convicted Killer Nabbed In Wildfire Inferno

A convicted killer now sits in jail accused of setting one of the worst wildfires in Spokane’s history.

Quick Take

Aaron F. Farinacci, 37, was arrested and charged with first-degree arson in connection with the Old Trails Fire in Spokane County, Washington.
Sheriff’s detectives and state fire investigators say they built probable cause before a judge signed both an arrest warrant and a search warrant.
Farinacci has a criminal past. He pleaded guilty to manslaughter after his father’s 2010 killing in Arizona, court records show.
The fire destroyed hundreds of homes and forced tens of thousands of people to flee, making this arrest a major moment for a battered community.

What Investigators Say Happened

The Spokane County Sheriff’s Office says Major Crimes Detectives worked alongside Washington State Department of Natural Resources fire investigators to track down a suspect in the Old Trails Fire. Officials say that teamwork led to Farinacci’s identification and a probable cause finding for arson. Around 5 p.m. on August 4, deputies executed an arrest warrant and a search warrant in the city of Spokane, taking Farinacci into custody on a single count of first-degree arson.

Officials describe Farinacci as a convicted felon already known to the justice system. Investigators reportedly found waterproof matches and a butane lighter on him, items they say line up with how the fire is believed to have started. A witness reportedly saw a man near dry grass shortly before smoke appeared, a detail that helped point detectives toward him. None of that has been tested in a courtroom yet, and an arrest is an accusation, not a conviction.

A Troubled History Follows Him Into This Case

Farinacci’s past adds weight to the story. He was originally charged with first-degree murder in the 2010 death of his father in Maricopa County, Arizona. That charge was later dismissed after a grand jury indictment, and by 2012 he pleaded guilty to manslaughter instead. For a man with that record to now face arson charges tied to a fire that wrecked entire neighborhoods understandably fuels public anger and demands for accountability.

Reporting also indicates Farinacci was briefly detained and then released earlier in the investigation before detectives gathered enough evidence to arrest him again. That is not unusual in fast-moving cases. Investigators often need time to connect witness accounts, physical evidence, and fire-origin analysis before prosecutors can move forward with formal charges that will hold up in court.

Why Fire Investigations Demand Careful Science

Wildfire arson cases carry extra weight because origin-and-cause investigators must first pin down exactly where a fire started before they can even guess at how it started. Federal wildfire investigation guidance stresses that cause cannot be determined without first nailing down origin, since burned scenes often look the same whether a fire was set on purpose or started by accident. That is why fire scientists urge patience even amid public pressure for fast answers.

History offers a sobering reminder of what happens when that patience runs short. Fire-science researchers have documented dozens of wrongful arson convictions built on burn-pattern theories that later proved unreliable, including the widely studied Cameron Todd Willingham case in Texas. That does not mean Farinacci is innocent. It means the public should expect prosecutors to back up their probable-cause claims with solid forensic work as this case moves toward trial.

Police Had Arson Suspect in Custody With Matches and Lighter — Then Released Him 🤦🏻‍♂️

According to Spokane County Sheriff John Nowels, on Saturday, August 1, 2026, the day the Old Trails Fire started near Airway Heights, a witness reported seeing a man suspiciously near the trees,… pic.twitter.com/skGRooUW8k

— Major Anthony Jones (@majorbrainpain) August 4, 2026

For now, the facts on record are straightforward. Detectives identified a suspect, a judge signed off on his arrest, and he faces a serious felony charge while Spokane County continues fighting fires that have already destroyed hundreds of structures. The affidavits laying out the full evidence have not been made public, so many specifics remain known only to investigators and the court. That gap will likely close as the case proceeds and Farinacci’s defense gets its chance to respond.

Communities devastated by wildfire deserve real answers, not just a name and a mugshot. Washington prosecutors now carry the burden of proving, beyond a reasonable doubt, that Farinacci deliberately set a fire that upended thousands of lives. Given his history, skepticism toward him is understandable. But the justice system exists precisely so that even someone with a troubled past gets a fair hearing before losing his freedom for good.