Authorities arrest arson suspect in connection with one of the devastating Spokane wildfires
Authorities on Monday arrested a 37-year-old man they suspect of starting one of the devastating wildfires tearing through eastern Washington state as many residents were left wondering if their homes had survived.The Spokane County Sheriff’s Office said 37-year-old Aaron F.Farinacci was arrested and booked on suspicion of arson in connection with the Old Trails Fire.
He is being held on $1 million bond.It wasn’t immediately clear if he had an attorney who could speak on his behalf.The fire that sparked Saturday is one of several burning around Spokane, the state’s second-largest city.
They are among the most destructive blazes in state history, together destroying at least 700 structures and forcing roughly 67,000 people to evacuate.Earlier Monday, some residents returned to find their homes leveled by wildfires that erupted across a parched landscape over the weekend, covering yards in charred debris.In some cases, only chimneys were left standing.“There’s nothing to save,” Miriam Sim, 76, said Monday as she and her husband, Daniel Sim, surveyed the ruins of the home where they had lived since 2005.“At our age, do we want to rebuild?” her husband asked.The fires jumped roads and rivers and had burned about 12.5 square miles by Monday.
The sky filled with smoke and haze.Calmer winds and lower temperatures arrived to help firefighters, but it was expected to be hot and dry again by midweek.In one Spokane neighborhood, blackened vehicles, a boat twisted by the heat and melted plastic recycling bins remained.
Across the street, lawns were still green and houses were spared, as residents continued to run hoses or sprinklers to water their properties.“Hundreds of people have completely lost their homes and farms, and many are prohibited from returning to their homes or neighborhoods as crews continue to extinguish smoldering embers,” the state’s entire congressional delegation wrote Monday in asking President Donald Trump to approve an expedite...