Sparks Set Off Fire Spread by Old Trails Fire

• Aaron F. Farinacci, 37-year-old resident, was charged with setting off a fire that sparked the Old Trails Fire.
• In the area, Spokane County prosecutors said the fire destroyed more than 700 buildings and damaged about 67,000 homes; the reason the blaze started was not disclosed.
• John Nowels testified that a surveillance camera showed the suspect’s vehicle, and that the fire spread through dry grass before it was extinguished. He said Farinacci’s first statement about the fire was that it began when sparks flew from the vehicle’s exhaust, but that the fire was not caused by the vehicle.

In Spokane (what Washington) the man was charged with starting a fire that burned more than 700 buildings in the area, which prosecutors said was caused by Aaron F. Farinacci, 37, who was accused of setting off the Old Trails Fire.

According to court documents, the fire destroyed more than 700 buildings, while about 67,000 homes were damaged. Prosecutors said that the reason the blaze started was not disclosed.

John Nowels testified that the surveillance camera footage showed the suspect’s vehicle, which he said was driving away, and that the fire spread through dry grass before it was extinguished. In his words, Farinacci’s first statement was that sparks from the vehicle’s exhaust ignited a fire. He said that the fire was not caused by the vehicle’s exhaust.

In court, however, it was also shown that Farinacci’s earlier statement was that the fire was caused by sparks from the vehicle’s exhaust. Prosecutor Preston McCollam, of the Spokane County Prosecutor’s Office, said in his opening statement that the defendant’s earlier statement was that the fire was not caused by the vehicle’s exhaust.

Prosecutors said the cause of the Old Trails Fire remains under investigation: it began in a wildfire zone in eastern Spokane County, spread across the Spokane River, and then expanded.

Prosecutor of Spokane County Cpl. Mark Gregory said that an estimated more than 300 animals were killed by the fire, but that the number could be even higher. The prosecutor said that the fire destroyed an estimated 1,000 buildings, and that the figure could be higher. He also said that the fire was not caused by lightning.

Also, CNN reported that the fire was likely caused by arson, and that the fire spread through the city of Spokane County.

Tags: Crime/Weather/Ecology