(CNN) — A man has been charged with first-degree arson in connection with one of the wildfires tearing through eastern Washington, Spokane County Sheriff John Nowels said Monday, as firefighters battle to contain blazes that have left a trail of destruction across the region.
Since erupting Saturday, three fires in Spokane County have destroyed more than 700 structures, displaced tens of thousands of residents and threatened communities. Crews are scrambling to gain ground before temperatures climb back into the 90s later this week –– with dry heat potentially fueling even more dangerous conditions.
Here’s what we know:
- Arson arrest: Aaron F. Farinacci, 37, was arrested Monday afternoon in connection with the Old Trails Fire and is being held on a $1 million bond, Nowels said. He was first seen by a witness on Saturday, kneeling near the site where the fire started, the sheriff said. Moments later, the witness saw smoke coming from the area and notified sheriff’s deputies. Responding law enforcement officers made contact with Farinacci in the area, and he was “detained, questioned and ultimately released,” Nowels said. At the time, he was found to be in possession of waterproof matches and a butane lighter, the sheriff added. Investigators later used body-worn camera footage of the encounter to build their case and obtained a warrant for his arrest on Monday.
- The latest, in numbers: The three fires in Spokane – the Old Trails Fire, the Autumn Lane Fire, and the Fairview Fire – have consumed more than 8,000 acres with 0% containment since they started Saturday. In addition to the hundreds of structures that have been destroyed, about 10,000 more are at risk, officials said. Across Washington state, roughly 5,000 people are responding to 17 major wildfires, with 262,000 acres of land on fire, said Dave Upthegrove, the state’s commissioner of public lands.
- Mass evacuations: Nearly 65,000 people have been evacuated from their homes in Spokane County. While fire officials have accounted for nearly everyone who called for help as the fires began, they are still trying to reach 14 people, officials said early Tuesday. Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson emphasized those people are not considered “missing,” but officials want to make sure they’re okay. No injuries or deaths have been confirmed.
- Like “a war zone”: Areas ravaged by fires look like “a war zone,” said Maj. Gen. Gent Welsh, the adjutant general of the Washington National Guard, as wildfire smoke continues to linger over nearly the entire state. Aerial images obtained by CNN show entire residential blocks burned and the surrounding vegetation charred. It could take several weeks before people are allowed back into their properties, Spokane Mayor Lisa Brown said.
- Voting in an evacuation zone: Ahead of the state’s primary elections Tuesday, Spokane officials said they made special accommodations to preserve access to ballot boxes for evacuees and others affected by the wildfires. At least one drop box, at Indian Trail Library, is within an evacuation zone and has been closed. Election officials are asking voters to visit nearby drop boxes outside of evacuation zones to drop off ballot packets.
The-CNN-Wire
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