Washington wildfire arson suspect twice linked to other blazes, authorities say

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. 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. None of the fires has been contained near Spokane, a city of some 230,000 people about 280 miles (450 km) east of Seattle. Washington Governor Bob Ferguson said it was a "nightmare situation", adding: "This is likely the worst natural disaster in Spokane history." No deaths or injuries have been confirmed. But the city's mayor Lisa Brown said there was still "the potential for lives to be lost". Authorities are trying to make contact with 14 people they have been unable to reach by mobile phone, but are not yet considered missing. Sheriff John Nowels said it was likely many of them did leave but had lost signal or had depleted phone batteries. The three fires in the city - Old Tra