Suspected Old Trails Fire starter arrested by Spokane authorities

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.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Over 600 Spokane structures destroyed, 6,000 evacuated as Washington wildfires near most destructive in state history

Over 600 Spokane structures destroyed, 6,000 evacuated as Washington wildfires near most destructive in state history

Over 600 structures have been destroyed in Spokane, Washington, as 60,000 residents were evacuated late Saturday into Sunday.

Local officials gave the update on what they’re calling the Spokane Complex Fires at a press conference on Sunday afternoon. Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson issued a statewide wildfire emergency and a statewide burn ban in response to the Complex and 17 others burning throughout the state on Saturday.

The number of destroyed structures rivals the state’s costliest wildfire incident in 2023, when the Oregon and Gray Fires burned down 710 structures.

“This year has already been one of our busiest wildfire years on record, and we just started August,” Commissioner of Public Lands Dave Upthegrove said. “Our firefighters are already stretched thin across the state, and with more heat and wind expected this weekend and for the rest of the summer, any new spark on our tinder-dry landscapes can lead to another devastating wildfire. I’m urging all Washingtonians to not be that spark.”

Three separate fires that constitute the Complex have not merged but are burning within miles of each other, triggering a shared response. The fires, all of which are at 0% containment, and burned area totals as of Sunday evening include:

  • The Old Trails Fire has burned 3,619 acres
  • The Autumn Lane Fire has burned 3,351 acres
  • The Fairview Fire has burned 1,056 acres
Credit: National Interagency Fire Center

The extreme fire weather that the region is facing isn’t expected to let up any time soon, according to National Weather Service meteorologists. Dry conditions, winds, and elevated temperatures are expected to continue throughout the upcoming week, with conditions intensifying on Friday as winds strengthen to between 30 and 35 mph.

“Friday is the next day being eyed for elevated fire weather concerns,” the National Weather Service’s Spokane office said in its Sunday evening report. “There is a near-zero chance for any precipitation within the next week for all areas except the Cascade gaps, so expect little to no relief from dry conditions.”

How to help Spokane residents recover

City officials asked the public to support their community using these resources:

Smoke reduced life expectancy across Washington

Most of Washington State’s hazardous air pollution comes from wildfire smoke, burdening already over-burdened populations in the state and lowering the average number of years people in those communities are expected to live.

A new report from the state’s Department of Ecology looked into air pollution across Washington and found that the largest contributor to air pollution in over-burdened communities was from wildfire smoke. The DOE is working to improve air quality in 16 places, representing numerous communities, neighborhoods, and towns across Washington that are overburdened and highly impacted by criteria air pollution.

The federal Clean Air Act requires the EPA to set National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for six common air pollutants. The DOE monitors these pollutants and acts if levels become unhealthy. These  pollutants are:

During the cold season, the largest contributor to air pollution was usually smoke from wood-burning stoves or furnaces.

Residents of the studied overburdened communities, on average, live 2.4 years shorter lives than the state average and also have higher numbers of deaths from cardiovascular disease.

Satellite photo, Bolt Creek (on the north) and Cedar Creek fires Sept. 10, 2022. Processed by Pierre Markuse.
Satellite photo, Bolt Creek (north) and Cedar Creek fires Sept. 2022. Processed by Pierre Markuse.

“Long-term exposure to air pollution may contribute to development of disease — for example, asthma development in children or chronic cardiovascular conditions in adults,” the department’s report says. “Further, short-term exposure to air pollution is associated with exacerbations in existing conditions such as asthma or COPD.”

The overburdened communities included:

        • Spokane and Spokane Valley
        • Tri-Cities to Wallula
        • East Yakima
        • Lower Yakima Valley
        • Moxee Valley
        • George and West Grant County
        • Mattawa
        • Ellensburg
        • Wenatchee and East Wenatchee
        • Everett
        • North Seattle and Shoreline
        • South Seattle
        • South King County
        • Northeast Puyallup
        • South and East Tacoma
        • Vancouver

The report also warns that life expectancies in these communities may drop even further as the frequency of wildfire smoke events has been rising. The worry is in line with USDA research that points to wildfire seasons in Washington, Oregon, and Idaho that are projected to last longer with increased wildfire frequency, size, and total acres burned as a result of climate change.

“In Northwest forests, a warming climate coupled with more frequent wildfires will lead to a shift away from shade-tolerant, thin-barked, or fire-intolerant species such as western hemlock, subalpine fir, and Engelmann spruce,” the report said. “With warmer and drier conditions and more frequent disturbance, some locations will likely shift from forest to shrubland or grassland.”

Dash 8-400AT airtanker finally gets FAA approval

Aero-Flite announced earlier this month that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has issued a Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) on the Dash 8-400AT airtanker. Based in Spokane, Aero-Flite has shown an ongoing interest in the U.S. certification of the airtanker version of the Dash-8 airliner.

Currently operating AVRO RJ-85 and Canadair CL-415 airtankers, Aero-Flite plans to expand their fleet. scramble.nl reported that with the new STC, Aero-Flite hopes to add two Dash 8-400ATs to its fleet before the end of the year. This FAA approval will allow U.S.-registered Dash 8-400ATs to fly aerial firefighting missions across all states.

The Aero-Flite airtankers will be operating under a long-term, multiyear contract with the State of Washington.

Aero-Flite photo
Aero-Flite photo

“Two of Aero-Flite’s Dash 8-Q400AT airtankers are currently on an exclusive use contract with Washington State,” said Brock Hindman, chief pilot of the Dash 8-400AT program at Aero-Flite. He said they’re operating with a cooperator agreement with the USFS and offering the airtanker to the Forest Service and to other states as the fleet grows.

Hindman said Canadian firefighting company Conair and the French Securité Civile have for years used firefighting versions of the Dash-8. “Conair has been converting the Dash 8-400 into an airtanker since 2005,” he said, “and has been operating them in Australia since 2020 — and in Canada and Alaska since 2022. With this recent FAA approval, Aero-Flite can now register our own airtankers in the U.S. and operate them under contract with government agencies.” He said Aero-Flite provides crews, maintenance, and insurance for the Dash 8 operations, working out of its Spokane hangars.

“Each Q400AT has a captain and a first officer operating the aircraft, supported by two aircraft mechanics on the ground, plus partner fuelers and loaders at each tanker base.” Hindman said the crews travel between tanker bases as needed. In 2022 the Q400AT operated in Washington and assisted in Oregon and Idaho.

Aero-Flite photo
Aero-Flite photo

Chris Niemann, general manager at Aero-Flite, told AirMed&Rescue, “The Dash offers greater flexibility and responsiveness than larger airtankers, while still providing a comparable payload capacity. It can operate from shorter runways at higher elevations, positioned in smaller airtanker bases located closer to where wildfires occur — meaning a fast response to the fire and back. Plus, they burn significantly less fuel than a Type 1larger airtanker, resulting in much lower operational costs while delivering a similar punch to the fire.”

Strong winds spread fires in Western Washington

4 p.m. PDT October 16, 2022

map Wildfires in western Washington, 3 p.m. PDT Oct. 16, 2022
Map of wildfires in western Washington, 3 p.m. PDT Oct. 16, 2022

Strong winds out of the east and southeast are increasing the spread of wildfires in Western Washington. Red Flag Warnings Sunday afternoon predicted 10 to 20 mph winds out of the southeast gusting at 25 to 30 with relative humidity in the low 20s.

Hilary Franz, the state’s Commissioner of Public Lands gave an update at about 2:20 p.m. Sunday:

Update Wash Fires

The Loch Katrine Fire on private land and the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest 30 miles east of Seattle had burned about 2,000 acres at the last estimate Sunday afternoon. Aviation resources are being used where they can be effective. A Type 2 Incident Management Team will assume command on Monday.

map Smoke from wildfires in western Washington, 326 p.m. PDT Oct. 16, 2022
Smoke from wildfires in western Washington, 3:26 p.m. PDT Oct. 16, 2022.

Evacuations for approximately 1,000 homes are in effect at the Nakia Creek Fire 9 miles north of Washougal, Washington 11 miles northeast of Portland, Oregon. At 2 p.m. Sunday it had burned about 400 acres.