Arson suspect arrested as Washington state battles devastating wildfires
3 wildfires have forced some 67,000 people to evacuate and destroyed hundreds of homes
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wildfires → arrest → homes
A man from Spokane, Washington, was arrested Monday and charged with setting one of the devastating wildfires that have destroyed hundreds of homes and other structures in and around the state's second-largest city.
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that → arrest → city
The Spokane County Sheriff's Office said Aaron F. Farinacci, 37, was arrested and booked on suspicion of first degree arson in connection with the Old Trails Fire, the largest of three blazes burning around Spokane.
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Farinacci → say → Spokane
Together, the fires have destroyed at least 700 buildings and forced some 67,000 people to evacuate.
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fires → destroy → people
Authorities haven't stated a possible cause for the other two fires.
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Authorities → state → fires
A tip from a community member who saw a nervous-looking man bent by the side of the road near some grass initially led authorities to Farinacci, though they released him after initial questioning, Sheriff John Nowels said Monday night.
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Nowels → see → questioning
Later, when major crimes detectives started investigating using body worn cameras and reports, they again identified Farinacci and determined that the fire had started where the witness had seen him, Nowels said.
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Nowels → start → him
Farinacci had matches and a butane lighter when he was detained, Nowels said.
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Nowels → have → matches
Farinacci's first court appearance will be Tuesday, according to Spokane County Prosecutor Preston McCollam.
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appearance → accord → McCollam
It wasn't immediately clear if he had an attorney who could speak on his behalf.
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who → have → behalf
He has been convicted of felony manslaughter in Arizona.
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He → convict → Arizona
'Nothing to save'
The Old Trails Fire sparked Saturday northwest of downtown Spokane, eventually jumping over the Spokane River and ripping through neighbourhoods.
Earlier Monday, some residents returned to find their homes levelled by wildfires that erupted across a parched landscape over the weekend, covering yards in charred debris.
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that → save → debris
In some cases, only chimneys were left standing.
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chimneys → leave → cases
"There's nothing to save," Miriam Sim, 76, said Monday as she and her husband, Daniel Sim, surveyed the ruins of the home where they had lived since 2005.
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they → be → 2005
"At our age, do we want to rebuild?" her husband asked.
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husband → want → age
The fires jumped roads and rivers and had burned about 32 square kilometres by Monday.
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fires → jump → Monday
The sky filled with smoke and haze.
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sky → fill → smoke
Calmer winds and lower temperatures arrived to help firefighters, but it was expected to be hot and dry again by midweek.
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it → arrive → midweek
In one Spokane neighbourhood, blackened vehicles, a boat twisted by the heat and melted plastic recycling bins remained.
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vehicles → blacken → heat
Across the street, lawns were still green and houses were spared, as residents continued to run hoses or sprinklers to water their properties.
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residents → spar → properties
No deaths or major injuries reported
Cpl. Mark Gregory, a spokesperson for the Spokane County Sheriff's Office, said the county initially received nearly 300 reports of missing people.
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county → report → people
By Monday, all but 14 had been cleared.
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all → clear → 14
Those outstanding reports more likely represented people who had not been in contact since evacuating rather than people who were missing or in danger, authorities said.
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authorities → represent → danger
The Spokane-area wildfires were completely uncontained, said Courtney James, a spokesperson for the Washington State Department of Natural Resources.
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James → say → Resources
They were among dozens burning across the western U.S., straining the ability of federal, state and local agencies to fight them.
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They → burn → them
At least 1,000 square kilometres had burned across Washington.
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kilometres → burn → Washington
Authorities warned people not to fly drones near burned areas, saying they could delay aerial firefighting operations.
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they → warn → operations
Angela and Wayde Deatherage, both 49, evacuated shortly after 3 p.m. Saturday with a son, grabbing a few bins of family photos and heirloom rings but not much else.
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Deatherage → evacuate → photos
Roughly 30 minutes later, their security camera began sending fire alerts to Angela's phone.
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camera → begin → phone
Wayde Deatherage took some back roads and returned by early evening.
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Deatherage → take → evening
He stopped at the end of the street and called his wife: "Our house is done."
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house → stop → wife
Deatherage, however, wasn't done with his neighbourhood.
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Deatherage → do → neighbourhood
He propped a hose at another house so it sprayed the property.
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it → prop → property
He called it simple prevention — and it worked.
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it → call → it
That home survived.
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home → survive → ?
The couple returned to their property Sunday.
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couple → return → property
"It's just ash," Angela Deatherage said of the home where they had lived for nearly 22 years.
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they → say → years
"It's like our house sunk down in the basement. ...
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house → sink → basement
Friends and relatives of people affected by the fires posted online appeals for money, clothes and basic necessities.
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Friends → affect → money
Kory and MacKensie Aspaas were away with their children when the disaster hit.
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disaster → hit → children
…and 74 more, not listed.
