The rubble of a burned out residential home smolders in the Balboa neighborhood of Spokane, Washington, on August 2, 2026. [AFP]
US authorities arrested a man Monday on suspicion of arson in connection with the biggest of three fires burning around the northwestern city of Spokane, as firefighters raced to contain flames that have displaced tens of thousands.
Wildfires supercharged by drought and intense heat have torn through the city in Washington state, burning thousands of acres and reducing hundreds of buildings to cinders while anxious families await news on when they can return.
A 37-year-old suspect, Aaron Farinacci, was detained over the Old Trails fire on a charge of arson in the first degree and held on a $1 million bond after a witness allegedly saw him kneeling near grass where the fire began, Spokane County Sheriff John Nowels told a press conference late Monday.
Farinacci was initially detained near where the fire started on Saturday but released, before being taken into custody again after officers connected him to the fire, Nowels said, adding that the suspect had a previous manslaughter conviction.
"We believe it was matches or a lighter. When he was detained... he was found to be in possession of some waterproof matches and a butane lighter," the sheriff said, adding the suspect was not believed to be connected to two other major fires in the area.
Aerial flybys revealed somewhere between 700 and 1,110 structures have been lost since the fires broke out over the weekend, authorities said.