Arson arrest made over largest of Washington state's wildfires

A man arrested on suspicion of arson in a large wildfire in Spokane, Washington, was previously linked to two other fire investigations last year.

Aaron Farinacci, 37, was allegedly seen kneeling near grass at the site of the latest blaze and was later found to have matches and a lighter, the Spokane County Sheriff said.

The fire is the largest of three burning around the north-western US state's second-most-populous city, forcing more than 60,000 people to evacuate and destroying more than 700 buildings.

None of the fires has been contained near Spokane, a city of some 230,000 people about 280 miles (450 km) east of Seattle.

Washington Governor Bob Ferguson said it was a "nightmare situation", adding: "This is likely the worst natural disaster in Spokane history."

No deaths or injuries have been confirmed.

But the city's mayor Lisa Brown said there was still "the potential for lives to be lost".

Authorities are trying to make contact with 14 people they have been unable to reach by mobile phone, but are not yet considered missing.

Sheriff John Nowels said it was likely many of them did leave but had lost signal or had depleted phone batteries.

The three fires in the city - Old Trails, Fairview and Autumn Lane - are among a total of 16 wildfires in Washington state, according to the state's department of natural resources.

Firefighters have made progress against two of them, but while Tuesday saw lighter winds and cooler weather, temperatures could rise again later this week.

Farinacci, who was arrested over the Old Trails fire, was being held on a charge of arson in the first degree. He was held on a $1m (£744,000) bond.

He appeared in court on Tuesday via video call, but did not enter a plea to the charge.

Residents reported seeing Farinacci near some train tracks before they saw flames in the area, according to charging documents.

Authorities stopped Farinacci near the scene. He was found with a pack of cigarettes, a butane lighter and a box of what authorities called "heavy duty waterproof matches", say the court papers.

He spoke with authorities and denied starting the fire or being in the area where it started, saying witnesses who saw him didn't know "the whole thing".

He was initially let go by authorities as they investigated the cause of the blaze.

Fire officials eliminated other possible causes, like train activity or electrical infrastructure, and found it likely to be caused by vegetation with ignition by matches or a lighter.

Court records reveal Farinacci came under scrutiny from authorities in two other arson investigations for fires last summer, though he was never charged.

Sheriff Nowels said the Spokane resident also has a manslaughter conviction.

Farinacci, then aged 21, shot and killed his father in 2010, according to court records cited by US media outlets.

He pleaded guilty to manslaughter and was released from prison in 2020.

Buildings, including homes and businesses, have been destroyed, with videos from the city showing flames tearing through houses as helicopters fly above, trying to put out the flames.

Resident Anna Andreachi, who has lost her home, told BBC News partner CBS News: "All of our memories are gone.

"My dad just died, and all of his stuff was still in there, too."

One man who saved his home by digging a fire line said he felt "survivor's guilt" after his neighbour lost theirs.

"We're going to open our home to our neighbours," Joe Cvancara said. "I know it's going to take a long time to rebuild."

More than 900 firefighters have been assigned to the Washington fires, with reinforcements expected from other states soon.

Wildfires have also been burning north of Washington state in Canada's British Columbia, where more than 8,000 people have been evacuated and over 230 homes have been destroyed.

It comes as the province's interior region deals with extreme drought conditions, and as temperatures in the Okanagan are expected to hit a high mid-30C (86F).

More than 100 fires were started last week alone amid the hot and dry weather, officials in British Columbia said.

Scientists have said that human-induced climate change makes the warm, dry conditions that lead to wildfires more likely - as well as leading to more frequent and intense heatwaves and potential summer droughts.

With additional reporting from Nadine Yousif in Toronto.

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