Police say a man charged with starting one of the wildfires in Spokane, Washington, that have destroyed hundreds of buildings planned the crime for weeks and researched when the weather would be best for igniting it. Detective Michael Drapeau said in a court filing Wednesday that Aaron Farinacci confessed to sparking the fire, described his planning process and explained how he created a device to ignite the blaze. Farinacci has been charged with five counts of first-degree arson in connection with the Old Trails fire and four previous smaller blazes. He was scheduled to be arraigned Thursday, but his lawyer asked for a competency evaluation before he enters a plea.
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Man charged with arson in Spokane, Washington, told police he planned wildfire for weeks and waited for ideal weather.
A new study calculates that human-caused climate change doubled the likelihood of the tinderbox weather conditions that sparked Canada’s massive summer wildfires. Thursday’s study by extreme weather research group World Weather Attribution says greenhouse gases make fire weather conditions such as heat, dry air and wind two times more common than they would be in a world without climate change. The fires spread smoke and raised the ire of U.S. President Donald Trump. He blames Canada for not managing its forest properly. Experts say Trump should look in the mirror. One Canadian fire scientist faulted the U.S. and Canada for not cutting back enough on fossil fuels and said the consequences could be deadly.
A wildfire that swept across mountains and coastal areas west of Athens has left hundreds of animals displaced. Volunteers rescued more than 280 pets and wildlife during days of extreme heat and shifting winds. Animal welfare advocates say increasingly severe wildfires across Europe are exposing a lack of resources to protect animals. One organization is calling for a dedicated European Union rescue service and measures such as “fire refuges.” Rescuers in Greece are now working with authorities to reunite animals with owners and arrange temporary shelter.
Crews have taken advantage of cooler weather to begin getting a handle on wildfires that have displaced tens of thousands of people around Washington state’s second-largest city, but hotter, drier and windier days lie ahead. Officials reported Wednesday that firefighters had established containment lines around the perimeters of all three fires and that they were focused on reinforcing those lines. Authorities say one of the fires was deliberately set by a man who has been arrested and charged with arson. Together the three have destroyed at least about 850 buildings and forced the evacuation of around 67,000 people since they erupted last weekend.
AP Wire
Iran and Oman have moved closer to an agreement on the Strait of Hormuz. This comes after U.S. President Donald Trump said a deal to reopen the critical waterway could be announced soon. The strait's closure has driven up global fuel prices. Regional officials tell the AP that Iranian and Omani negotiators have finalized a draft deal to reopen the strait, pending approval from Iran’s supreme leader. Meanwhile, new tensions have emerged in Lebanon as the Israeli military issued the first evacuation warning in weeks for some residents in the south.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Russian missile and drone strikes on Kyiv and its region have killed 17 people and wounded 44 others. The attacks are part of a series of large-scale strikes exploiting Ukraine's shortage of interceptor missiles. Zelenskyy has urged other countries to send more ammunition to bolster its depleted air defenses. Meanwhile, Ukraine has increased its drone attacks on key Russian targets to pressure President Vladimir Putin into negotiations. The Russian Defense Ministry claims its strikes targeted war-related sites, while Ukraine says civilian areas were hit. The ongoing conflict has intensified, affecting both military and civilian infrastructure.
Firefighters are racing to exploit a break in high winds, working to strengthen containment lines on fires west of the Greek capital. Stronger gusts and hotter temperatures are forecast in the coming days. Several fires that burned through mountain communities and coastal areas west of Athens were brought under control overnight into Tuesday. Planes and helicopters dumped water inside the contained perimeters through the morning, dousing hot spots while the winds stayed calm.
AP Wire
Court documents show that a 37-year-old Spokane man charged with intentionally setting a wildfire that’s destroyed hundreds of buildings in and around Washington state’s second-largest city was questioned by law enforcement about two different blazes last year, though he wasn’t charged in either. Aaron F. Farinacci was arrested Monday and booked on suspicion of first-degree arson in connection with the Old Trails Fire. He appeared in court Tuesday via video link from the jail, and the judge set his arraignment for Thursday. According to an affidavit, Farinacci denied that he set the Old Trails Fire. It is the biggest of three blazes in and around Spokane.
Los Angeles fire officials say the deadly 2025 Eaton fire was caused by Southern California Edison equipment. A report released Tuesday found the cause of the fire that killed 19 people and destroyed or damaged more than 9,000 homes and businesses was a tower that was not in service. The Eaton Fire was one of two blazes that broke out on Jan. 7, 2025. It took firefighters nearly a month to extinguish the blaze, which scorched 22 square miles.