{
  "id": 145370,
  "title": "Arson suspect arrested as wildfires rage around Spokane, Washington",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/04/arson-suspect-arrested-as-wildfires-rage-around-spokane-washington",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-04T21:04:59.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Daily Maverick",
    "slug": "daily-maverick",
    "url": "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2026-08-04-arson-suspect-arrested-as-wildfires-rage-around-spokane-washington/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Spokane, Washington, is grappling with the aftermath of three devastating wildfires that have destroyed over 700 houses and buildings, forcing 64,000 residents to evacuate. The Old Trails Fire, one of the three, was allegedly started deliberately by Aaron Farinacci, a 37-year-old Spokane resident, who was arrested on Monday on a $1 million bond. Farinacci is accused of igniting the fire using matches or a lighter, likely on a roadside patch of grass. The other two fires are still under investigation. The three blazes have scorched more than 10,000 acres and are currently the top firefighting priority nationwide. Authorities have pleaded with the public not to use drones, as dozens of illegal flights have grounded firefighting aircraft. Cooler temperatures and lighter winds are expected to aid firefighters on Tuesday, but temperatures are set to rise, making it harder to control the blazes, which remain uncontained. Scientists attribute the increase in wildfires to manmade global warming, driven by fossil fuel use. No fatalities have been reported from the Spokane fires, but the search and recovery efforts may uncover more victims as search operations expand into inaccessible areas.",
  "summary": "SPOKANE, Washington, Aug 4 (Reuters) - A man has been arrested on suspicion of deliberately starting one of three fires that have destroyed over 700 houses and other buildings, forcing 64,000 people to evacuate in and around Spokane, Washington, the city hardest hit by wildfires sweeping the drought-stricken Pacific Northwest United States.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 6,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "The Conversation",
        "title": "Why the Spokane wildfires became so catastrophic",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/03/why-the-spokane-wildfires-became-so-catastrophic",
        "published": "2026-08-03T18:36:19.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "NPR",
        "title": "Photos: Wildfires in Spokane lead to thousands of evacuations",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/03/photos-wildfires-in-spokane-lead-to-thousands-of-evacuations",
        "published": "2026-08-03T18:45:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Daily Maverick",
        "title": "Wildfires near Spokane destroy more than 700 buildings, force 64,000 to flee",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/04/wildfires-near-spokane-destroy-more-than-700-buildings-force-64-000",
        "published": "2026-08-04T03:10:59.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Free Malaysia Today",
        "title": "Wildfires near Spokane destroy more than 700 buildings, force 64,000 to flee",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/04/wildfires-near-spokane-destroy-more-than-700-buildings-force-64-000-119518",
        "published": "2026-08-04T05:06:24.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "CBS News",
        "title": "Man charged with setting one of the 3 Spokane area wildfires",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/04/man-charged-with-setting-one-of-the-3-spokane-area-wildfires",
        "published": "2026-08-04T05:35:00.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}