Court documents allege Aaron Farinacci spent weeks planning the catastrophic blaze, researched a serial arsonist and deliberately waited for hot, dry and windy conditions.
The convicted murderer accused of deliberately igniting the devastating Old Trails Fire in Spokane, WA, has admitted to investigators that he started the blaze after spending weeks planning it and allegedly confessed to setting 25 other fires since July 2025.
According to newly released court documents obtained by The Ari Hoffman Show on Talk Radio 570 KVI, Aaron Forrest Farinacci, 37, told Spokane County Sheriff’s Detectives that he began planning the Old Trails Fire approximately two weeks ago and researched weather forecasts looking for a day with “high winds, low humidity, sort of high heat.”
https://twitter.com/thehoffather/status/2085477965018931432?s=20
Investigators say Farinacci knew Spokane County was under a Red Flag warning and a “PDS,” or Particularly Dangerous Situation, warning immediately before the fire. According to the affidavit, Farinacci understood from his observations that the conditions were ideal to start a fire and “let the fire take its course.”
He allegedly told investigators the day was “planned out, the weather was planned out” and that he knew it was going to be windy. The affidavit alleges Farinacci researched well-known serial arsonist John Leonard Orr and purchased materials to construct a “time delay device” for igniting a wildfire using notebook paper, matches, a cigarette and a rubber band.
Investigators say Farinacci had several potential ignition locations in mind before ultimately choosing the area near West Euclid and Old Trails roads.
On the morning of Aug. 1, Farinacci allegedly left his apartment early because he knew it would become windy around 11 am or noon, with winds reaching roughly 15 miles per hour. He walked the railroad tracks and went to two locations without starting a fire before ultimately selecting a spot investigators determined was less than 320 feet from the fire’s actual point of origin.
According to the affidavit, Farinacci allegedly told detectives he chose the location because “he knew it was gonna get bad.” Investigators said the area contained grass followed by young trees and then larger trees, with the wind blowing in the direction the fire eventually traveled. Farinacci allegedly assembled the delayed ignition device, lit the cigarette used to start it, placed the device in grass near a fence and ran from the area along the railroad tracks, occasionally looking back at the rising plume of smoke.
He claimed he did not intend for the fire to become as large as it ultimately did. The Old Trails Fire became one of three catastrophic Spokane-area wildfires, and has destroyed hundreds of structures and forced tens of thousands of people to evacuate.
According to the affidavit, Farinacci knew law enforcement would likely be looking for suspects walking along the railroad tracks. Investigators say he had a plan that, if confronted, he would pull a knife from his backpack and attempt to get police to shoot him. Instead, the affidavit says Farinacci decided to “feign innocence,” which he did.
An Airway Heights police officer initially encountered Farinacci roughly 1.5 miles from where the fire began, questioned him, collected his identifying information and released him. Detectives continued investigating over the following days before arresting Farinacci.
The affidavit also describes Farinacci’s alleged fascination with fire. According to Drapeau, Farinacci told investigators he feels fire is “powerful, beautiful,” and that things going through fire experience a kind of rebirth.
He allegedly told detectives he considered arson “an easy crime to get away from if you have time.” Farinacci also allegedly said he routinely carried marijuana or cigarettes so that he would have a legitimate reason to possess a lighter or matches, providing what he described as an “arson alibi.”
The Old Trails Fire may represent only a fraction of Farinacci’s alleged activity. According to the affidavit, Farinacci confessed to being responsible for 25 fires in the vicinity of his residence dating back to July 2025. Detectives say they have already corroborated evidence indicating he was responsible for at least four of the fires he described.
Farinacci allegedly told detectives that he started his first fire on July 4, 2025, using a lighter. He also allegedly confessed to starting the Aubrey White Fire in July 2025, though the affidavit indicates he disputed aspects of the evidence investigators discussed with him regarding that blaze. The Aubrey White Fire burned more than 1,200 acres at Riverside State Park and prompted evacuation orders.
Farinacci also allegedly admitted starting another fire two days later in west Spokane that forced residents of nearby homes and apartment complexes, including his own, to evacuate. The affidavit further alleges that Farinacci planned for several days before starting five fires surrounding his Copper River Apartments residence in late July 2025. Investigators said he described using a paper towel wrapped around a rock as an ignition method for at least one of the fires.
Prosecutors on Thursday requested four additional counts of first-degree arson and indicated additional charges could follow as investigators determine the “full extent” of Farinacci’s alleged actions. A Spokane County judge increased his bond to $2 million and went over conditions that would apply if he were released. The judge also accepted a request from Farinacci’s attorney for a competency evaluation.
Farinacci also underwent competency proceedings following the killing of his father in Arizona more than 15 years ago. In 2010, Farinacci, then 21, fatally shot his father, Jeffrey Farinacci, following an argument at their Mesa, Arizona home that police said involved Farinacci refusing to do the dishes.
According to Mesa police, Farinacci entered his parents’ bedroom, locked the door and retrieved his father’s handgun from a nightstand. When his father entered the room, police alleged Farinacci shot him twice. Investigators said Farinacci then pointed the firearm at his mother after she entered the room upon hearing the gunshots. She fled and called police.
Jeffrey Farinacci was transported to a hospital, where he died from his injuries. Aaron Farinacci was later found several blocks away suffering from what police described as a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the chest.
Maricopa County prosecutors initially charged Farinacci with first-degree murder and aggravated assault. His court docket shows that the defense later sought a Rule 11 mental health evaluation, experts were appointed, and competency proceedings followed. The docket subsequently recorded Farinacci as competent to proceed.
The case was ultimately resolved through a plea agreement. In 2012, Farinacci pleaded guilty to the reduced charge of manslaughter, a Class 2 felony, and separately pleaded guilty to aggravated assault, a Class 3 felony. He was sentenced to prison followed by probation and served roughly a decade behind bars. Court records show Farinacci remained under supervision until receiving an Order of Discharge of Probation in January 2024.
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The allegations and confessions come after former Washington Gov. Jay Inslee claimed “climate change” caused the Spokane fires while the inferno was still raging and before an alleged arsonist had been publicly identified. After Farinacci’s arrest, Inslee doubled down. “When you hear ‘suspected arson,’ it’s easy to think, ‘that wildfire has nothing to do with climate change,’” Inslee wrote.
“While severe drought, low snowpack, and heat didn’t ignite this fire—they are why it’s so big, destructive, and fast.”
Investigators allege Farinacci deliberately sought out the dangerous weather conditions Inslee cited.