Man charged with arson in Washington state wildfire

A 37-year-old man accused of intentionally starting one of the three wildfires raging across Washington state was officially charged with first-degree arson on Tuesday.

Aaron F. Farinacci appeared by video from jail before the Spokane County Superior Court on Tuesday afternoon. He faces a charge of first-degree arson, with bail set at $1 million. His arraignment is scheduled for Thursday, according to CNN.

The charges come as three destructive fires, the Old Trails Fire, the Autumn Lane Fire, and the Fairview Fire have burned through more than 10,000 acres and destroyed hundreds of homes and other buildings in the Spokane region since erupting on Saturday.

“The situation is dire,” Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson said. “These are neighborhoods in the city (of Spokane) that in large part have been just wiped out.”

Officials said Monday that more than 700 structures had already been destroyed, while roughly 10,000 additional buildings remained under threat.

Nearly 65,000 residents of Spokane County had been forced to evacuate by Monday. Authorities said no injuries or fatalities had been recorded.

State officials also said that 17 major wildfires burning across Washington have collectively scorched about 262,000 acres.

Spokane County sheriff’s Cpl. Mark Gregory said Tuesday that authorities had successfully reached all 14 individuals who had previously been unaccounted for on Monday.