Man accused of starting Spokane County’s Old Trails Fire expected to enter plea - KOMO

The man accused of intentionally starting one of Washington’s most destructive wildfires is now being held on a $2 million bond. Aaron Farinacci, 37, was arrested Monday after witnesses reported seeing him acting suspiciously near the area where the Old Trails Fire started in Spokane County. During his arraignment on Thursday, a Spokane County judge went over release conditions, upping his bond and accepting a competency evaluation request from Farinacci's attorney. WATCH: Spokane Old Trails Fire arson arraignment Farinacci was scheduled to be arraigned Thursday afternoon on three first-degree arson charges in connection with that fire and two others allegedly set days before. The Old Trails Fire is one of three major wildfires still burning in northwest Spokane County. He faces additional charges for setting the Aubrey White Fire on July 6 and the Meenach Fire on July 8, according to a new affidavit filed Wednesday. Farinacci also admitted to investigators he set around 25 fires near his apartment home between July and August 2025, according to the new filing. PHOTOS | Devastating wildfires tear through Spokane County Images from Spokane County showed burned-out cars and the aftermath of destroyed homes . Spokane resident Mrisa Caru said she lost nearly everything. "I did grab, you know, some important things but not nearly enough that I would have grabbed if I would have realized we were gonna lose everything," Caru said. Firefighters have set up primary containment lines around all three fires. Spokane County Sheriff John Nowels said Farinacci was found kneeling in the grass where the Old Trails Fire started, and video showed the fire’s possible origin. RELATED | Man arrested for sparking Spokane wildfire went to prison for killing father "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. Authorities said Farinacci was convicted in Arizona for manslaughter in 2010 and served more than a decade in prison for killing his father after an argument over washing dishes. Farinacci told investigators he started setting fires last July; at the time of his arrest, he was found with windproof and waterproof matches, according to court documents. Court documents state Farinacci made statements to investigators describing how he planned and executed his plan to start fires and maximize the spread of what is now the Old Trails Fire. In court Tuesday, a judge ordered Farinacci held on $1 million bond. About 850 homes and other buildings have been destroyed so far, and some evacuation levels have been lowered. Investigators stressed there is no evidence linking Farinacci to the two other Spokane-area wildfires. Combined, the three fires have burned more than 10,000 acres.