A Spokane County judge raised Aaron Forrest Farinacci’s bail to $2 million on August 6, 2026, after prosecutors filed four additional first-degree arson charges. Court documents allege Farinacci confessed to setting 25 fires in the area since 2025, including the Old Trails Fire. Prosecutors also allege he monitored weather conditions and used a delayed ignition device. His arraignment was delayed after his defense requested a mental competency evaluation.

The Old Trails Fire began August 1 in the Spokane, Washington, area and burned more than 3,200 acres. It destroyed about 700 homes and other buildings and led to the evacuation of more than 60,000 residents. The allegations remain subject to court proceedings, and Farinacci has not been convicted of the charged offenses.

Expanded charges and higher bail

Prosecutors in Spokane County added four first-degree arson counts against Aaron Forrest Farinacci during a court appearance on August 6, 2026. The counts relate to fires investigators say were connected to him since the previous summer. Judge Jeremy Schmidt found probable cause to proceed on the additional allegations.

Spokane County Prosecutor Preston McCollam asked the court to increase bail because of the seriousness and number of the charges. The judge approved the request, raising bail to $2 million. The decision followed allegations that Farinacci was responsible for multiple fires, including the blaze that caused extensive destruction in the Spokane area.

“I am asking the court to increase bail or bond in this amount to $2 million, given the gravity of these charges, given the addition of four separate arson counts.”

Alleged confession and investigative evidence

According to an arrest affidavit, Farinacci initially denied involvement in the Old Trails Fire during a 90-minute interrogation after his August 3 arrest. The documents allege that he later confessed to planning and igniting the fire. Investigators also said they found evidence linking him to the Aubrey White, Copper River/Meenach, Fort George and Indian Bluff fires.

Court documents further allege that Farinacci admitted setting 25 fires in the area since 2025. Investigators said he monitored weather applications to identify favorable conditions and checked weather information while constructing a delayed ignition device. The device was allegedly made with paper, matches, cigarettes and rubber bands and was modeled after one associated with serial arsonist John Leonard Orr.

The documents also allege that Farinacci planned the Old Trails Fire for two weeks and sometimes ignited fires at the same time to distract responders and spread emergency crews more thinly across the area. These claims are allegations presented in court documents and will be tested through the legal process.

Scale and impact of the Old Trails Fire

The Old Trails Fire started on August 1, 2026, in and around Spokane, Washington. The fire burned more than 3,200 acres and destroyed approximately 700 homes and other structures. More than 60,000 people were evacuated as authorities responded to the expanding blaze.

The damage made the fire the central incident in the criminal investigation. Prosecutors allege Farinacci deliberately planned the ignition and used weather information to select conditions that could support its spread. The investigation then broadened as detectives examined other fires that they said showed links to the same suspect.

Competency review and next court steps

Farinacci’s arraignment was delayed after his defense requested a mental competency evaluation. The evaluation is intended to determine whether he is fit to understand the proceedings and assist his attorneys in preparing a defense. The request does not resolve the factual allegations or determine whether he committed the charged offenses.

The court’s probable-cause finding allows the additional charges to move forward while the competency issue is considered. Bail remains set at $2 million under the judge’s ruling. Further proceedings will address the evaluation and the formal handling of the arson case.

Prior conviction and broader case context

Background checks cited in court records show that Farinacci previously was convicted in Arizona in connection with the fatal shooting of his father in 2010. He pleaded guilty in 2012 to manslaughter and aggravated assault and served about a decade in prison.

That prior conviction is part of the background considered in the case, but it is separate from the current Washington allegations. The present charges concern the Old Trails Fire and other fires that investigators say were set in the Spokane area. Farinacci remains accused, rather than convicted, in those cases.

Summary

The Washington case against Aaron Forrest Farinacci expanded after prosecutors added four arson charges and presented allegations of a confession involving 25 fires. The judge’s $2 million bail ruling reflects the scope of the accusations and the destruction attributed to the Old Trails Fire. The case will now proceed alongside a defense-requested competency evaluation, while the allegations remain unresolved in court.

Frequently Asked Questions

What happened to bail in the case?

A Spokane County judge increased Farinacci’s bail to $2 million after prosecutors filed four additional first-degree arson charges.

What do prosecutors allege Farinacci confessed to?

Court documents allege that he confessed to setting 25 fires in the area since 2025, including the Old Trails Fire.

Why was the arraignment delayed?

The defense requested a mental competency evaluation to determine whether Farinacci is fit to stand trial, delaying the arraignment.

How severe was the Old Trails Fire?

The fire burned more than 3,200 acres, destroyed about 700 homes and other buildings, and prompted the evacuation of more than 60,000 residents.

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A Washington family’s report of a stranger near a closed road helped investigators focus on a suspect shortly before the Old Trails Fire began. Paul Child said he saw the man near railroad tracks and later watched him bend into nearby brush. The fire spread rapidly across dry grasslands, forcing evacuations and destroying hundreds of buildings. Authorities later arrested Aaron F. Farinacci on suspicion of first-degree arson.

A stranger stands out on a closed road

Paul Child was driving his grandson to pick up a friend on a Saturday in early August when he noticed a bald man near railroad tracks along West Euclid Road in eastern Washington. The dead-end road had been closed for several years, with only two homes beyond a barricade. Because strangers rarely entered the area, the man’s presence drew attention.

About 10 minutes later, Child passed the same location and saw the man still there. He said the individual appeared bent over in brush, grass and trees, then stood up and acted nervously after noticing the vehicle. Child’s grandson also questioned what the man was doing.

Smoke appears and the family evacuates

After returning home, Child’s daughter, Ana Dillon, saw a large cloud of white smoke followed by black smoke near the railroad tracks. The smoke appeared minutes after the family had seen the stranger. Child called 911 and tried to warn the other homeowner on the isolated road.

The neighbor was away, but Child reached him by phone and warned that flames were moving toward the property, where workers were inside a shop. As the fire crossed dry grasslands, the family left its nearly 17-acre property with five dogs and two cats.

Witness identification leads deputies to a suspect

The family later flagged down an Airway Heights police officer and described the man as a bald white male wearing a green shirt and backpack. Child provided the location where he had seen him before smoke rose. Spokane County sheriff’s deputies detained a person matching that description.

Child, his grandson and the grandson’s friend watched from Child’s pickup, about 50 yards away, as deputies removed the man from a patrol vehicle. Child said the man’s build and clothing matched the person the family had seen.

Authorities later arrested Aaron F. Farinacci, 37, on suspicion of first-degree arson, alleging that he intentionally started the Old Trails Fire. The blaze was the largest of three wildfires that destroyed hundreds of buildings and prompted the evacuation of about 67,000 people.

Investigators reconstruct the fire’s origin

Court records show investigators concluded that the fire began in the area identified by Child. They ruled out trains and nearby electrical infrastructure before determining that the fire was consistent with dry grass ignited by an open flame from a match or lighter.

Scott Sweetow, a retired Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives executive, said investigators must establish where a fire began and determine how it ignited. They examine burned terrain and vegetation, assess witness accounts and eliminate accidental causes such as lightning, power equipment, trains and discarded smoking materials.

The case relies on multiple lines of evidence

Sweetow cautioned that no single fact should decide an arson case. Investigators reportedly noted that Farinacci had waterproof matches and a butane lighter when deputies first contacted him, but those items must be assessed alongside match remnants, forensic findings, electronic records and witness accounts.

Child said deputies initially released Farinacci before arresting him after investigators developed additional evidence. Sweetow said that sequence was not necessarily unusual during a fast-moving wildfire emergency, when evacuations and evidence gathering can occur together.

Court records also show that Farinacci previously faced a first-degree murder charge after fatally shooting his father during an argument in Arizona in 2010. He later pleaded guilty to reduced manslaughter and aggravated assault charges, served about eight years in prison and was released in 2020. The arson allegation remains a criminal accusation, and a court must determine the case.

Summary

The family’s observations gave investigators an early lead and helped identify the reported point of origin. The case depends on more than eyewitness recognition, requiring authorities to connect the alleged suspect to the ignition through physical, forensic and circumstantial evidence. The arson allegation remains unresolved in court.

Frequently Asked Questions

What did the eyewitness report?

Paul Child reported seeing a bald man near railroad tracks along a closed section of West Euclid Road shortly before smoke appeared.

Who was arrested?

Authorities arrested Aaron F. Farinacci, 37, on suspicion of first-degree arson in connection with the Old Trails Fire.

How did investigators assess the cause?

They examined the origin, terrain and vegetation, ruled out trains and nearby electrical infrastructure, and concluded the blaze was consistent with dry grass ignited by an open flame.

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