Spokane wildfire accused confessed after weeks of planning, police say

Washington,UPDATED: Aug 7, 2026 04:48 IST

A man charged with starting a wildfire in Spokane, Washington, has confessed to the crime, telling police that he had planned it for weeks and made a device to ignite the blaze. Investigators said the fire went on to destroy hundreds of buildings.

According to a court filing by Spokane County Detective Michael Drapeau on Wednesday, Aaron Farinacci researched weather conditions to identify a day with “high winds, low humidity, sort of high heat” for the Old Trails Fire. Police said he also studied the work of a well-known serial arsonist and bought items to make a “time delay device” using notebook paper, matches, a cigarette and a rubber band.

Drapeau said Farinacci told him that “fire is powerful, beautiful, and that things that go through fire experience a kind of rebirth”. Farinacci has been charged with starting one of three fires in the Spokane area that have burned more than 850 homes and forced tens of thousands of people to evacuate. He is due in court on Thursday for arraignment on a first-degree arson charge. His lawyer, Colin Charbonneau, did not immediately respond to messages seeking comment.

The detective said Farinacci chose Saturday, August 1, to start the fire because he knew strong winds, reaching 50 mph, were expected. Drapeau said Farinacci knew it “was gonna get bad”, though he claimed he did not intend it to spread as much as it did.

Police said a key lead came from 64-year-old Paul Child, who was driving with his grandson along some railroad tracks when he saw a man standing there and looking towards nearby trees. About 10 minutes later, the man was still there. “He was bent over in the brush, acting nervous,” Child told The Associated Press on Tuesday. “You get the feeling this guy’s up to something.” Child said that shortly after he got home, his daughter told him there was a fire. “No longer than 10 minutes after I got home, my daughter says, There’s a fire,” he recalled. “My first words were, That SOB started a fire! It was the exact spot where he was standing.”

The case centres on Farinacci’s alleged planning, his confession and the witness account that helped police identify him, as authorities pursue charges over one of the fires that caused widespread damage and evacuations in the Spokane area.

With PTI Inputs

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