Western Wildfires
A resident surveys the damage in the Balboa neighborhood after a wildfire hit the northern part of Spokane, Wash., Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2026.
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Court documents show that a 37-year-old Spokane man charged with intentionally setting a wildfire that’s destroyed hundreds of buildings in and around Washington state’s second-largest city was questioned by law enforcement about two different blazes last year, though he wasn’t charged in either. Aaron F. Farinacci was arrested Monday and booked on suspicion of first-degree arson in connection with the Old Trails Fire. He appeared in court Tuesday via video link from the jail, and the judge set his arraignment for Thursday. According to an affidavit, Farinacci denied that he set the Old Trails Fire. It is the biggest of three blazes in and around Spokane.
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