Suspect in destructive Spokane wildfires confessed to crimes, cops say
· UPIAug. 6 (UPI) -- The suspected arsonist accused of starting a series of fires that destroyed hundreds homes in the Spokane, Wash., area last week has confessed, according to court records.
Aaron Farinacci, 37, was arrested on Monday on suspicion of first-agree arson after witnesses said he had acted suspiciously at the location where the fire began.
No injuries or deaths have been reported from the fires.
Police said in court records that Farinacci confessed to starting 25 fires close to his home near the Spokane River, but detectives only corroborated four blazes. One of those was a July 2025 fire that burned 41 acres.
"He feels fire is powerful, beautiful, and that things that go through fire experience a kind of rebirth," Spokane County Sheriff Det. Mike Drapeau reportedly said in court records.
Farinacci made the statements to investigators after following his arrest, Drapeau said.
"He knows arson is an easy crime to get away from if you have time," Drapeau said. "And he had time."
According to court filings, Farinacci told police he had planned Saturday's fire two weeks earlier. He allegedly researched the weather for a day with high winds, settling for Saturday. The National Weather Service had issued a "particularly dangerous situation warning" for severe fire weather.
Spokane County Superior Court Judge Jeremy Schmidt raised Farinacci's bond to $2 million and added four additional counts of first-degree arson due to the new information. Schmidt is expected to approve a competency evaluation for Farinacci, according to the Spokane Spokesman-Review.
Farinacci appeared in court for the second time this week on Thursday and was represented by a public defender.
The fire began around midday Saturday when high winds carried it through Riverside State Park. It jumped the river and reached the city before destroying at least 700 homes.
Scenes from California's record-breaking wildfire season
Smoke from fires in Northern California lowers visability of the Bay Bridge and San Francico as viewed from Yerba Buena Island on October 2. Photo by Terry Schmitt/UPI | License Photo