Detectives say Spokane fire suspect confessed to planning 'powerful, beautiful' blaze weeks in advance - The Spokesman-Review
Aaron Farinacci has been charged with multiple counts of arson after confessing to starting several fires in Spokane, including the Old Trails fire. A judge has increased his bond to $2 million pending a competency evaluation.
Why it matters
The case addresses public safety concerns regarding serial arson and the legal process for handling defendants with potential mental health issues.
The man accused of starting Spokane’s devastating Old Trails fire confessed to detectives he planned the blaze two weeks in advance, according to court records.
Law enforcement arrested 37-year-old Aaron Farinacci Monday evening on suspicion of first-degree arson, after witnesses reported he was acting suspicious at the scene where the fire started, near Old Trails and Euclid roads northeast of Airway Heights.
“He feels fire is powerful, beautiful, and that things that go through fire experience a kind of rebirth,” Spokane County sheriff’s Detective Mike Drapeau wrote in court records. Drapeau wrote Farinacci made the statements to investigators during an interview following his arrest.
He ultimately confessed to starting 25 fires near his apartment complex near the Spokane River, north of the West Central Neighborhood, though detectives corroborated four. One of them was the Aubrey White fire that burned 41 acres on July 6, 2025.
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