Suspected Old Trails Fire starter arrested by Spokane authorities

Hunter Bassler
August 4, 2026

Deputies in Spokane County on Monday announced the arrest of a man believed to have started the Old Trails Fire, which has destroyed hundreds of homes and caused the evacuation of thousands of people.

Aaron Farinacci, 37, was arrested and charged with first-degree arson and is being held on a $1 million bond, according to the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office. Authorities said a tip from a citizen led to Farinacci’s arrest.

“The witness…noticed a male standing on the side of the road looking into the trees as he was going to pick somebody up,” Sheriff John Nowels said at a press conference on Monday. “About 10 minutes later, as he was coming back through the area, he noticed the male was bending down near some grass. At that point, the male stood up and looked very nervous, according to our citizen witness…a short time later, they saw smoke coming from what they believed was the area that they had seen the male bending down.”

That tip and subsequent description of the suspect led to Farinacci’s arrest about a mile and a half from where the fire was started, Nowels said. Authorities believe Farinacci started the fire with waterproof matches and a butane lighter, which were found on his person.

Farinacci was temporarily released from custody as deputies continued investigating the crime, but was arrested again once more evidence was obtained.

Click here to watch the full press conference.

The Old Trails Fire, the Fairview Fire and the Autumn Lane Fire have burned over 8,026 acres and have destroyed at least 600 structures as of Monday evening, according to wildfire managers at the scene. Favorable weather conditions have allowed crews to make significant gains on the Old Trails and Fairview fires, but the Autumn Lane Fire continues to be active.

A warming trend, low humidity and increased winds are forecast for the Spokane area starting Wednesday, which is expected to increase fire weather danger.