Man charged with arson as Washington wildfires devastate Spokane area
Firefighters in eastern Washington are struggling to gain the upper hand on the wildfires devastating the Spokane area. The three blazes have forced tens of thousands to flee and destroyed more than 700 buildings. Authorities arrested a man suspected of starting the fire considered to be the most destructive. Amna Nawaz discussed more with Dave Upthegrove, Washington commissioner of public lands.
Wildfires in the Spokane area of eastern Washington have forced tens of thousands of people to flee and destroyed over 700 buildings. According to the Daily Maverick, 64,000 people have been evacuated. The fires have burned more than 10,000 acres on the northern fringe of Spokane, a city with about 230,000 residents.
A 37-year-old Spokane resident, Aaron Farinacci, has been arrested and charged with first-degree arson for allegedly starting the Old Trails Fire, one of the three blazes. The Spokane County Sheriff's office said Farinacci is accused of using matches or a lighter to ignite a roadside patch of grass, starting the fire. He was jailed on a $1 million bond.
The origins of the two other fires remain under investigation. The three blazes are ranked as the top firefighting priority in the US. The fires have been driven by gusting winds and tinder-dry conditions, and have fouled the air with smoke and soot.
Brief written by urgent.news from PBS NewsHour Health, Daily Maverick, CBS News, The Hill — 4 reports on this story. Machine-written — it may contain errors, so check the original before relying on it.
