By Daily Mail (U.S.) | Created at 2026-08-04 16:37:03 | Updated at 2026-08-04 22:46:08
6 hours ago
The former governor of Washington State blamed the raging wildfires on climate change, but a man who was previously convicted of killing his father has been arrested for allegedly starting the blazes.
Jay Inslee, who served in the role from 2013 to 2025, shared a video of himself on Sunday afternoon discussing the wildfires that have burned more than 10,000 acres and remain zero percent contained as of Tuesday morning.
Inslee donned a casual royal blue hoodie and filmed himself outside as he spoke about the infernos.
In the clip and its caption, the Democrat said climate change was to blame for the fires. He also made the same assumption on CNN.
'Three enormous wildfires are raging in Spokane. Thousands of people are evacuating, not knowing if they’ll come back to a home or nothing but ashes.
'Climate change isn’t some faraway threat. It’s happening right now, to our neighbors and friends. We have to fight for them,' Inslee, 75, wrote.
The following day, Aaron F Farinacci, 37, was arrested and booked on suspicion of arson after he allegedly started the Old Trail Fire in Spokane.
His arrest came nearly 15 years after he pleaded guilty to killing his father during a fight over washing the dishes, the East Valley Tribune previously reported.
Jay Inslee, the former governor of Washington State, said climate change is to blame for the wildfires in Spokane
Aaron F Farinacci, 37, was arrested for allegedly starting the devastating blazes on Monday after a witness told police they spotted him staring at the trees before crouching down on the side of the road near a patch of grass, police said
In October 2010, Farinacci, then 21, got into an argument with his father and mother, Jeffrey and Beth Farinacci, at their home in Mesa, Arizona, after they asked him to do the dishes, the outlet stated.
He then went into his parents' room, locked the door behind him, and grabbed a gun from a nightstand, police said at the time.
Jeffrey, 48, entered the room after locating a spare key. Once the door opened, his son shot him.
His father called for his wife, but when she made her way to them, Aaron pointed the gun at her, the report stated.
Beth backed away, and Aaron made a run for it before being found outside of another residence with a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the chest.
His father was taken to Scottsdale Healthcare Osborn Hospital, where he died about an hour after shots were fired at the family's home.
Aaron pleaded guilty to killing his father in 2012 and was sentenced to 12 years in prison. He was released in 2020 and discharged from probation in December 2024, according to 12News.
He was arrested in connection with the fires after a witness told police that they saw a man near the site of the Old Trail Fires before the blaze started around 10am on Saturday, Spokane County Sheriff John Nowels said.
The wildfires that have burned more than 10,000 acres and remain zero percent contained as of Tuesday morning
The witness said he specifically saw a man staring at the trees before crouching down on the side of the road near a patch of grass, Nowels stated.
That man then 'stood up and looked very nervous' before walking away, according to the official.
Investigators later determined that the blaze started in the exact location the witness described seeing Aaron, Nowels added.
Waterproof matches and a butane lighter were found on him, Nowels said. He was detained, brought in for questioning, but initially released on Sunday.
By Monday evening, he was back in custody and is now being held on a $1 million bond, jail records reviewed by the Daily Mail detailed.
The Old Trails Fire is one of three blazes and has become the most destructive in the state's history.
More than 700 structures have been destroyed by the Old Trails Fire, Autumn Lane Fire and the Fairview Fire, fire officials said.
Over 65,000 people have had to flee their homes, but after powerful winds started to ease, some residents have been able to return, according to a New York Times report.
Charred debris is left after the Old Trails Fire burned through a neighborhood in Spokane
A woman looks devastated as she examined the destruction left by the ongoing wildfires in Washington State
But the fires have left neighborhoods completely ravaged, with locals telling the outlet that it's like a 'war zone' there.
There have been no reported fatalities, but on Monday, officials were still trying to get in contact with 14 people, Nowels said during a news conference.
'These are people who may have called for help evacuating, and many of them likely did get evacuated. They are people we’re just trying to confirm are fine,' Nowels said.
Spokane Mayor Lisa Brown told the community that she believes they can rebuild, but it will be a long process.
'Everybody wants some certainty. They want to get back and have that moment of reckoning where they know whether their house is still there or not. We have hope, and we also need patience,' Brown said.
