Calculated arson: suspect confessed to 25 additional fires during the year

A man arrested on suspicion of starting a massive wildfire in Washington state, USA, confessed to investigators that he waited for a hot, dry, and windy day to ignite the fire. According to released court documents, 37-year-old Aaron Prinachi also took responsibility for 25 other arsons in the area over the past year.

Prinachi appeared in court on Thursday for the second time, and the district judge raised his bail amount to two million dollars. No plea was entered, and the judge ordered a psychiatric evaluation to assess his mental competence. The fire in Spokane is the largest of three burning around the city, and it forced over 60,000 people to evacuate their homes.

Over 700 structures were completely destroyed as a result of the fire, and nearly a quarter of Spokane's population was forced to evacuate. On Wednesday, an investigative affidavit was released, in which investigators testified that Prinachi admitted to planning the fire, known as the "Old Trails Fire," two weeks in advance. He even checked a weather app to predict a day with "strong winds, low humidity, and high heat."

Detectives believe the suspect researched a known serial arsonist with the goal of creating a "time-delay device" to ignite the fire. According to the affidavit, Prinachi had been dealing with difficulties since the birth of his son in May 2025 and became obsessed with fire. He allegedly began setting fires in July 2025 and had set 25 fires by the following month.

Prinachi claimed that he felt fire is "powerful, beautiful, and that things that pass through fire experience a kind of rebirth." He knew the fire "would get worse," but did not intend for it to be so large. Some residents said they do not have the emotional energy to be angry at the suspect and are focusing on healing their trauma. Others found "closure" in knowing that the fire was intentional and not an accident. Matt Kinkennon, who lost his home, said:

"I hope that if it is proven that he did this, the punishment will fit the crime, because what he allegedly did turned the lives of so many people upside down."