Arson suspect arrested as US northwest battles wildfires

Emergency crews on Tuesday were racing to contain flames in the US Northwest, where a man was arrested on suspicion of arson in connection with the largest of the fires that have displaced tens of thousands.

Wildfires supercharged by drought and intense heat have torn through the city of Spokane in Washington state, burning thousands of acres and reducing hundreds of buildings to cinders while anxious families await news on when they can return.

A 37-year-old suspect, Aaron Farinacci, was detained over the Old Trails fire on a charge of arson in the first degree and held on a $1 million bond after a witness allegedly saw him kneeling near grass where the fire began, Spokane County Sheriff John Nowels told a press conference late Monday.

Farinacci was initially detained near where the fire started on Saturday but released, before being taken into custody again after officers connected him to the fire, Nowels said, adding that the suspect had a previous manslaughter conviction.

"We believe it was matches or a lighter. When he was detained... he was found to be in possession of some waterproof matches and a butane lighter," the sheriff said, adding the suspect was not believed to be connected to two other major fires in the area.

Aerial flybys revealed somewhere between 700 and 1,110 structures have been lost since the fires broke out over the weekend, authorities said.

Three fires have combined to burn 10,280 acres (4,160 hectares) in the Spokane area, according to the latest figures from InciWeb, a federal interagency information system.

Late Monday authorities there said firefighters were making use of cooler temperatures, higher humidity and thick smoke to make "significant gains" against two of them.

Local officials said so far no one had been reported hurt.

Cooler temperatures were expected Tuesday, though the respite was expected to be brief, with a warming trend resuming mid-week that would raise temperatures into the mid to high-90s Fahrenheit (mid-30s Celsius).

Video of the fire's aftermath on Sunday showed scores of homes burned to the ground, while other houses nearby escaped practically unscathed.