In addition, he researched when the weather would be best for igniting it. The man, Aaron Farinacci, said “fire is powerful, beautiful, and that things that go through fire experience a kind of rebirth,” Spokane County Detective Michael Drapeau wrote in a court filing Wednesday.

Police say a man charged with starting one of the wildfires in Spokane that have destroyed hundreds of buildings planned the crime for weeks and researched when the weather would be best for igniting it.

Firefighters have made progress containing all three of the devastating wildfires near Spokane, Wash., but the blazes, which have collectively destroyed hundreds of homes and forc

The fires have consumed thousands of acres, destroyed homes and forced residents to evacuate.

Spokane wildfires have forced evacuations and a statewide emergency has been declared in Washington.

Authorities say about 5,000 homes have been evacuated and about 600 homes, businesses and other buildings have been destroyed by wildfires that remained uncontained Sunday in eastern Washington state.

The American West is battling a persistent wildfire season, with the Pacific Northwest bearing the brunt as dozens of massive blazes rage in Oregon and Washington, forcing residents from their homes and shutting down major roadways.