Authorities arrest arson suspect in connection with wildfires in Spokane

The rubble of a burned-out home smolders in the Balboa neighborhood of Spokane, Wash., on Sunday. Erick Doxey/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

SPOKANE, Wash. — The Spokane County Sheriff's Office has arrested a suspect in connection with its investigation into the Old Trails fire, the most destructive wildfire of the three burning in and around this eastern Washington city.

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Authorities say 37-year-old Aaron Farinacci, a convicted felon, was arrested at his home without incident and is being charged with arson in the first degree. The suspect's home was also searched.

Sheriff John Nowels said a tip from a citizen, who reported seeing a man "bending down near some grass" in the area where the fire started, led investigators to detain a suspect early in the investigation. The man, identified as Farinacci, was questioned and released but was arrested again later by major crimes detectives and investigators as more details emerged during the investigation, Nowels said in a press conference.

Nowels said authorities believe Farinacci used matches or a lighter to start the fire, both items found on him at the time of his arrest.

The suspect will make his first court appearance on Tuesday, according to county prosecutor Preston McCollam. It wasn't immediately clear whether Farinacci had an attorney who could speak on his behalf, according to The Associated Press.

Authorities said the cause of the fires is still under investigation.

The blazes have been fueled by high winds and temperatures and dry weather. Since last weekend, the wildfires have displaced 65,000 people, destroyed some 700 buildings and burned through 7,000 acres of land.

Three members of the Spokane Fire Department sit on a curb in front of burned-out residential homes in the Balboa neighborhood of Spokane, Wash., on Sunday. Erick Doxey/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

They have also forced the evacuation of businesses, the region's Veterans Affairs hospital campus and other healthcare facilities.

There have been no reports of deaths or injuries so far.

Those who have been evacuated are seeking refuge at the Spokane Convention Center, at a Red Cross shelter.

Charlie Patrick evacuated on Saturday and is staying with her son at this shelter. Patrick, who is 54 and disabled, said she left her apartment with nothing and doesn't know whether it burned down.

"I hope it is still there," she said, choking back tears. "I have a lot of memories and pictures and stuff of my family I can't get back."

Firefighters on Monday and Tuesday were trying to take advantage of a brief reprieve in the high winds to contain the fires before another heat wave is forecast to arrive midweek.

Spokane Mayor Lisa Brown told NPR's Morning Edition that the city of 230,000 people faced "an unprecedented situation."

Hundreds of people, including many elderly, are staying at the Red Cross shelter in downtown Spokane. Nursing staff helped people change clothes behind blankets.

In an interview with NPR's Here & Now on Monday, Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson described Spokane as a "war zone."

"It's devastating," Ferguson said, adding that neighborhoods in the city had been "wiped out."

Ferguson said he spoke with President Trump and Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin on Sunday and had put in a request to the federal government "for an emergency declaration for immediate relief."

He said that included relief for housing and food, as well as search and rescue assistance.