Aaron Farinacci, 37, was ordered held on a $2 million bond in Spokane, Washington, on Thursday after detectives revealed he confessed to planning the devastating Old Trails Fire weeks in advance and admitted to igniting two dozen additional blazes since last year.
The man accused of sparking one of Washington state’s most destructive wildfires planned the catastrophe weeks in advance by monitoring weather patterns and researching a notorious serial arsonist, according to court documents filed in Spokane County.
Aaron Farinacci, 37, appeared in Spokane County Superior Court on Thursday for a virtual hearing where a judge doubled his bond and added four new counts of first-degree arson. The developments arrived as firefighters continued battling an intense cluster of blazes that have blackened more than 10,000 acres, destroyed at least 700 structures, and forced tens of thousands of residents to flee.
How the Old Trails Fire Was Planned and Ignited
Investigators say Farinacci began plotting the destruction approximately two weeks before the Old Trails Fire erupted around noon on Saturday, August 1, near Old Trails Road and Euclid Road northeast of Airway Heights. Armed with details from a weather app, he searched for a date featuring high winds, low humidity [and] high heat
to maximize destruction, according to updated charging documents.
Court records show Farinacci also researched serial arsonist John Leonard Orr. He purchased notebook paper, matches, a cigarette, and rubber bands to assemble a time delay device designed to spark the wildfire while giving him time to slip away. Settling on a location near a BNSF Railway track because he knew the resulting blaze was gonna get bad,
he picked a day carrying a severe fire weather warning from the National Weather Service.
Deputies initially detained Farinacci later that day about half a mile from the origin point. Officers found him carrying a pack of cigarettes, a butane lighter, and a box of waterproof matches. He denied involvement during initial questioning, but major crimes detectives tied him to the scene and arrested him on Monday.
Confessions to Serial Arson and Previous Convictions
Following his arrest, Farinacci admitted to detectives that he had set approximately 25 fires near his apartment complex north of the West Central neighborhood since July 2025. While investigators have corroborated four of those blazes, prosecutors filed charges for four additional historical fires, meeting the U.S. Department of Justice definition for serial arson.
The newly filed charges include the Aubrey White Fire that burned over 1,200 acres on July 6, 2025; a second un-named fire set less than five miles away two days later; the Equestrian Fire on August 11, 2025; and the Indian Bluff Fire on July 24 of this year, according to court records.
“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, via court documents
He served more than a decade in prison.
Judge Jeremy Schmidt Raises Bond Amid Courtroom Proceedings
During Thursday afternoon’s virtual court appearance from the Spokane County Jail, Superior Court Judge Jeremy Schmidt granted a prosecution request to increase Farinacci’s bond to $2 million. Prosecutor Preston McCollam argued for the increase given the gravity of these charges,
which now stand at five counts of first-degree arson.
Farinacci sat beside his attorney, Colin Charbonneau, director of the Spokane County Public Defender’s Office. Charbonneau reserved arguments on probable cause and release conditions while requesting a competency evaluation for his client, which Judge Schmidt indicated he would sign. Farinacci also formally waived his right to a speedy trial to allow defense counsel time to prepare for the expanded case.
Evacuations, Devastation, and Next Steps for the Region
The three major blazes burning across the northern fringe of Spokane have forced tens of thousands of evacuations.
Fire officials warned that high temperatures and dry winds threaten to return, keeping hundreds of firefighters on high alert across the Pacific Northwest.
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