A man accused of starting a wildfire in Spokane, Washington, has confessed to police that he planned the act for weeks and created a device to ignite a blaze that destroyed hundreds of buildings, according to authorities. This was reported by infohub.kz.
According to a court filing by Spokane County Detective Michael Drapeau, Aaron Farinacci researched the weather to predict a day with “high winds, low humidity, sort of high heat” for the Old Trails Fire. He also studied the work of a well-known serial arsonist and made a “time delay device” using notebook paper, matches, a cigarette, and a rubber band.
Drapeau said Farinacci told him that “fire is powerful, beautiful, and that things that go through fire experience a kind of rebirth.” Farinacci is charged with starting one of three fires in the Spokane area that have burned more than 850 homes and forced tens of thousands to evacuate. He is due in court Thursday for arraignment on a first-degree arson charge. His attorney, Colin Charbonneau, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Farinacci chose Saturday, Aug. 1, to start the fire because he knew there would be strong winds reaching 50 mph (80 kph), the detective said. He said he knew it “was gonna get bad,” but claimed he didn’t intend it to grow as much as it did.
Paul Child, 64, has been credited with leading police to Farinacci. He was driving with his grandson along railroad tracks when he saw a man standing and looking toward nearby trees. About 10 minutes later, the man was still there.
“He was bent over in the brush, acting nervous,” Child told The Associated Press. “You get the feeling this guy’s up to something.” “No longer than 10 minutes after I got home, my daughter says, ‘There’s a fire,’” Child recalled. “My first words were, ‘That SOB started a fire!’ It was the exact spot where he was standing.”