- Published
A man arrested on suspicion of arson in a large wildfire in Spokane, Washington, was previously linked to two other fire investigations last year.
Aaron Farinacci, 37, was allegedly seen kneeling near grass at the site of the latest blaze and was later found to have matches and a lighter, the Spokane County Sheriff said.
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Sheriff → publish → matches
The fire is the largest of three burning around the north-western US state's second-most-populous city, forcing more than 60,000 people to evacuate and destroying more than 700 buildings.
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fire → burn → buildings
None of the fires has been contained near Spokane, a city of some 230,000 people about 280 miles (450 km) east of Seattle.
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None → contain → Seattle
Washington Governor Bob Ferguson said it was a "nightmare situation", adding: "This is likely the worst natural disaster in Spokane history."
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This → say → history
No deaths or injuries have been confirmed.
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deaths → confirm → ?
But the city's mayor Lisa Brown said there was still "the potential for lives to be lost".
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lives → say → ?
Authorities are trying to make contact with 14 people they have been unable to reach by mobile phone, but are not yet considered missing.
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they → try → phone
Sheriff John Nowels said it was likely many of them did leave but had lost signal or had depleted phone batteries.
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many → say → batteries
The three fires in the city - Old Trails, Fairview and Autumn Lane - are among a total of 16 wildfires in Washington state, according to the state's department of natural resources.
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fires → accord → resources
Firefighters have made progress against two of them, but while Tuesday saw lighter winds and cooler weather, temperatures could rise again later this week.
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temperatures → make → winds
Farinacci, who was arrested over the Old Trails fire, was being held on a charge of arson in the first degree.
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who → arrest → degree
He was held on a $1m (£744,000) bond.
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He → hold → bond
He appeared in court on Tuesday via video call, but did not enter a plea to the charge.
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He → appear → charge
Residents reported seeing Farinacci near some train tracks before they saw flames in the area, according to charging documents.
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they → report → documents
Authorities stopped Farinacci near the scene.
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Authorities → stop → scene
He was found with a pack of cigarettes, a butane lighter and a box of what authorities called "heavy duty waterproof matches", say the court papers.
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papers → find → what
He spoke with authorities and denied starting the fire or being in the area where it started, saying witnesses who saw him didn't know "the whole thing".
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who → speak → thing
He was initially let go by authorities as they investigated the cause of the blaze.
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they → let → blaze
Fire officials eliminated other possible causes, like train activity or electrical infrastructure, and found it likely to be caused by vegetation with ignition by matches or a lighter.
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it → eliminate → matches
Court records reveal Farinacci came under scrutiny from authorities in two other arson investigations for fires last summer, though he was never charged.
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he → reveal → fires
Sheriff Nowels said the Spokane resident also has a manslaughter conviction.
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resident → say → conviction
Farinacci, then aged 21, shot and killed his father in 2010, according to court records cited by US media outlets.
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Farinacci → shoot → outlets
He pleaded guilty to manslaughter and was released from prison in 2020.
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He → plead → 2020
Buildings, including homes and businesses, have been destroyed, with videos from the city showing flames tearing through houses as helicopters fly above, trying to put out the flames.
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helicopters → include → flames
Resident Anna Andreachi, who has lost her home, told BBC News partner CBS News: "All of our memories are gone.
"
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All → lose → memories
My dad just died, and all of his stuff was still in there, too."
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all → die → stuff
One man who saved his home by digging a fire line said he felt "survivor's guilt" after his neighbour lost theirs.
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neighbour → save → theirs
"We're going to open our home to our neighbours," Joe Cvancara said.
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Cvancara → go → neighbours
"I know it's going to take a long time to rebuild."
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it → know → time
More than 900 firefighters have been assigned to the Washington fires, with reinforcements expected from other states soon.
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reinforcements → assign → states
Wildfires have also been burning north of Washington state in Canada's British Columbia, where more than 8,000 people have been evacuated and over 230 homes have been destroyed.
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homes → burn → Columbia
It comes as the province's interior region deals with extreme drought conditions, and as temperatures in the Okanagan are expected to hit a high mid-30C (86F).
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temperatures → come → mid-30C
More than 100 fires were started last week alone amid the hot and dry weather, officials in British Columbia said.
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officials → start → Columbia
Scientists have said that human-induced climate change makes the warm, dry conditions that lead to wildfires more likely - as well as leading to more frequent and intense heatwaves and potential summer droughts.
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that → say → heatwaves
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