Docs: Man accused of starting Spokane-area fire arrested with fanny pack full of matches

Newly obtained court documents detail the moment a man was arrested, accused of starting a fire that’s wreaking havoc in the Spokane area.

37-year-old Aaron Farinacci was arrested on Monday along W. Elliott Drive. He’s accused of starting the Old Trails Fire – which is one of three actively burning fires.

According to the documents, Farinacci had a fanny pack filled with waterproof matches, a butane lighter, and some cigarettes.

On Aug. 1, a man called 911 after seeing the fire burning along Euclid Road. The caller said he’d seen a man standing in the same area, acting nervously, when he was on his way to pick someone up.

Airway Heights Police went to the area and found a man matching the description about a mile away.

Officers confronted Farinacci and told him they had witnesses who claimed they saw him coming from the area of the fire.

He replied that the witnesses didn’t know “the whole thing,” according to the documents. Farinacci said he was walking along a train track in the area, but denied starting the fire.

A fire investigator determined that the fire was likely started by a lighter or match and not train activity or electrical infrastructure in the area.

At the time of this reporting, the Old Trials Fire is uncontained and has burned 3,621 acres. It’s one of three fires that are actively burning in the Spokane area. The Fairview Fire has burned 1,041 acres, and the Autumn Lane Fire has burned 5,603 acres. Both remain uncontained, and the causes are under investigation. More than 67,000 people have evacuated the Spokane area because of the fire danger. More than 700 structures have burned.

Farinacci is expected back in court on Aug. 6. A judge set his bail on Tuesday at $1 million.