Man Charged with Starting Spokane County's Old Trails Fire to Plead in Court

Aaron Farinacci, 37, was arrested on Monday after witnesses reported seeing him near the origin of the Old Trails Fire in Spokane County. He is scheduled for a Thursday arraignment on a first-degree arson charge linked to the blaze, which is one of three major fires still burning in northwest Spokane County.

Spokane County Sheriff John Nowels said video evidence placed Farinacci kneeling in the grass at the fire’s suspected start point, and that citizen reports helped lead to his apprehension. > "As it happens in so many critical cases, it was citizens who were paying attention to their surroundings, being aware, and willing to step up and say something -- that led to the relatively quick apprehension of Mr. Farinacci," Nowels said.

The sheriff's office noted that Farinacci has a prior conviction for manslaughter in Arizona in 2010, for which he served more than a decade in prison. A judge set his bond at $1 million.

The Old Trails Fire, along with two other nearby blazes, has burned over 10,000 acres and destroyed approximately 850 homes and other structures. While some evacuation orders have been reduced, investigators said there is no evidence linking Farinacci to the other two fires.