Old Trails Fire suspect allegedly confessed to setting 25 fires as judge doubles bail to $2M

The antheral accused of starting the devastating Old Trails Fire successful Spokane County had his bail doubled to $2 cardinal Thursday aft prosecutors filed 4 further arson charges and alleged helium admitted to mounting 25 fires successful the country since 2025.

Court documents reviewed by Fox News Digital allege Aaron Forrest Farinacci, 37, besides confessed to monitoring upwind apps to place perfect conditions and checking upwind conditions portion constructing a delayed ignition instrumentality to commencement the Old Trails Fire.

During a tribunal quality Thursday, Judge Jeremy Schmidt recovered probable origin to complaint Farinacci with the 4 further counts of first-degree arson stemming from fires allegedly acceptable since past summer.

According to the affidavit, Farinacci initially denied engagement successful the Old Trails Fire during a 90-minute interrogation pursuing his Aug. 3 apprehension earlier aboriginal confessing to readying and mounting the blaze alight.

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Firefighters respond toa  wildfire adjacent Spokane, Washington, connected Aug. 2, 2026. (South Pend Oreille Fire Rescue / FOX Weather)

Detectives besides said they corroborated grounds linking Farinacci to different blazes: the Aubrey White, Copper River/Meenach, Fort George and Indian Bluff fires.

In court, Spokane County Prosecutor Preston McCollam asked for the higher bond, stating, "I americium asking the tribunal to summation bail oregon enslaved successful this magnitude to $2 million, fixed the gravity of these charges, fixed the summation of 4 abstracted arson counts."

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The Old Trails Fire destroyed hundreds of buildings successful and astir Spokane, Washington, earlier investigators arrested Aaron F. Farinacci connected suspicion of first-degree arson. (AP Images ; Arizona Department of Corrections)

The justice agreed, noting, "The amount, arsenic requested by Prosecutor McCollam, is appropriate."

The arraignment was besides delayed Thursday aft Farinacci's defence requested a intelligence competency valuation to find whether helium is acceptable to basal trial.

The expanded charges travel amid wide demolition caused by the Old Trails Fire, which started Aug. 1.

The blaze burned much than 3,200 acres, destroyed astir 700 homes and different structures and forced the evacuation of much than 60,000 residents.

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A pistillate mourns adjacent to a deceased canine astatine a burned location during the Old Trails occurrence successful Spokane, Washington connected August 4, 2026. (Josh Edelson / AFP via Getty Images)

Court documents besides amusement Farinacci yet admitted to readying the Old Trails Fire for 2 weeks.

The documents accidental helium built a time-delay instrumentality from paper, matches, cigarettes and rubber bands modeled aft 1 utilized by serial arsonist John Leonard Orr.

Documents besides allege Farinacci deliberately ignited simultaneous fires astatine different times to distract and bladed retired exigency effect crews.

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Background checks besides showed a anterior condemnation for manslaughter aft helium fatally changeable his begetter successful Arizona successful 2010. He served astir a decennary successful situation aft pleading blameworthy successful 2012 to manslaughter and aggravated assault. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report.