A federal grand jury has returned an indictment for the man suspected of starting one of the recent wildfires in Spokane, Washington, the Department of Justice announced on Friday.
Aaron Farinacci, 37, faces an arson charge related to the Old Trails fire, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Washington. More federal charges could be coming after the indictment on Wednesday.
The wildfire started on Aug. 1 and went on to destroy over 700 buildings while burning thousands of acres in Spokane, Washington’s second-largest city after Seattle. There were at least two other fires in the area, but they did not appear to be caused by arson.
Local authorities believe the Autumn Lane fire and Fairview fire were human-caused, though not necessarily intentionally. The Autumn Lane fire is said to have been accidentally caused by a person, potentially stemming from machinery.
As for the Old Trails fire, Farinacci was seemingly directly involved.
A witness alleged they saw Farinacci kneeling near some grass where the fire began, according to the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office. Authorities released the suspect after initial questioning, but they later detained the man after detectives identified him using body cameras.
Police discovered waterproof matches and a butane lighter on Farinacci when they arrested him in connection with the Old Trails fire.
The suspect, arrested a few days after the fire started, remains in state custody pending related state charges.
MAN ARRESTED AND CHARGED WITH ARSON IN CONNECTION WITH WASHINGTON FIRES
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the FBI worked with state officials to “identify applicable federal offenses,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office said. The investigation remains “active and ongoing as to additional potential federal charges,” the office added.
The defendant is scheduled to appear in court next on Oct. 2, per court records reported by local news outlets.