Authorities on Monday arrested a 37-year-old man they suspect of starting one of the devastating wildfires tearing through eastern Washington state as many residents were left wondering if their homes had survived. The Spokane County Sheriff's Office said 37-year-old Aaron F. Farinacci was arrested and booked on suspicion of arson in connection with the Old Trails Fire, the AP reports. He is being held on $1 million bond. The fire that sparked Saturday is one of several burning around Spokane, the state's second-largest city. They are among the most destructive blazes in state history, together destroying at least 700 structures and forcing roughly 67,000 people to evacuate.
Earlier Monday, some residents returned to find their homes leveled by wildfires that erupted across a parched landscape over the weekend, covering yards in charred debris. In some cases, only chimneys were left standing. The fires jumped roads and rivers and had burned about 12.5 square miles by Monday. The sky filled with smoke and haze. Calmer winds and lower temperatures arrived to help firefighters, but it was expected to be hot and dry again by midweek. No deaths or major injuries have been reported so far.
The Spokane-area fires were among dozens across the Western US, stretching the ability of federal, state, and local agencies to fight them. At least 390 square miles has burned across Washington, which has contended with severe drought and a paltry snowpack. A lightning-caused fire that has burned over 530 square miles of grassland in western Idaho and eastern Oregon continued to grow Monday. The area is home to cattle ranches, and authorities said the fire is threatening more than 600 homes and 800 other structures. In central Utah, a blaze quadrupled in size over the weekend to nearly 109 square miles by Monday afternoon. More than 100 cattle have been killed, according to law enforcement.
,
uBlock 
,
and
Ghostery 
)
