Air Quality & Wildfire News — August 4, 2026

Washington's fire emergency now has a criminal investigation attached to it, and the smoke it is producing is shaping air quality across a wide stretch of the country. Here is what was reported today.

A suspect is arrested over the largest Spokane County fire

Aaron Farinacci, 37, was booked into the Spokane County jail Monday on a first-degree arson charge in connection with the Old Trails Fire, the largest of three wildfires burning in the county. As The Daily Beast reports, that fire and two others have burned upward of 8,000 acres and damaged roughly 700 buildings since Saturday, with up to 65,000 residents evacuated and none of the fires contained.

Sheriff John Nowels said detectives and state fire investigators built the case on tips from residents, including a witness who reported seeing a man crouching in grass near where the fire started. Deputies stopped Farinacci half a mile away that day carrying waterproof matches and a butane lighter, and he was questioned and released at the time. Farinacci has a prior manslaughter conviction. The arrest was also among the day's top stories in NBC News' morning rundown.

Washington's smoke is expected to stay in the West

The Spokane County fires are one piece of a much larger season. The Asbury Park Press reports that the U.S. Northwest is facing its worst wildfire season in 30 years, with more than 400,000 acres burned in Washington this year and more than 200,000 of those since Saturday, according to the state governor's office. Air quality in parts of Washington has reached an index of 501.

For readers on the East Coast wondering whether that smoke is headed their way, the forecast says no — winds are expected to carry it westward, with western Washington and British Columbia bearing the pollution instead. That is a reminder that smoke impact depends far more on wind direction than on distance.

Colorado wakes up under thick smoke

Cooler temperatures arrived in southern Colorado with a catch. KRDO reports that the mildest day of the week came with thick wildfire smoke, with the worst air quality sitting over Fremont and Custer counties and moderate conditions in most surrounding areas.

Air quality alerts were issued for Pueblo, El Paso, Fremont and Custer counties along with many other areas. Highs were expected in the 80s with a few evening showers and thunderstorms.

Heat and stagnant air over North Texas

Air quality alerts are not only a wildfire story. FOX 4 reports that an air quality alert was in effect Tuesday across North Texas because of calm winds and light atmospheric mixing, with similar stagnant conditions expected to linger into Wednesday.

Dallas-Fort Worth reached 101 degrees Monday and was forecast to climb to 102 Tuesday, with heat index values up to 105. When the air stops moving, pollution simply accumulates — which is why hot, still days often produce poor readings without any fire nearby.

A French fire uncovers World War II munitions

The huge forest fire near Bordeaux left behind an unusual hazard. CBS News reports that around 400 shells and pieces of ammunition have been recovered in the village of Le Porge, where more than 180 homes were destroyed. Residents returned home Monday after days of demining operations.

Blasts heard during the fire were initially mistaken for exploding gas cylinders. Mayor Martial Zaninetti told France Info the explosions were like "the sound of war," and said buried ammunition depots existed in the municipality without anyone knowing. The munitions, both German and French, are mainly mortar shells along with some high-explosive anti-tank shells. The blaze — the region's most serious since 1949 — has now been brought under control after burning more than 99,000 acres in about 10 days.

The air quality problem indoors

A reminder that outdoor readings are only half the picture. Newsweek reports that Americans spend roughly 90 percent of their time indoors, and that concentrations of some pollutants are often two to five times higher inside than outside, according to the EPA.

Research from the University of Birmingham links poor indoor air quality to reduced cognitive performance, lower productivity and adverse health outcomes, with associated economic costs estimated at between $13.2 billion and $32.1 billion a year. On a smoky day, what happens inside your house matters as much as what the map outside says.

Sources

• Convicted Killer Arrested for Arson Over Horror Wildfire — The Daily Beast
• What to watch in blockbuster Michigan primary and suspect arrested in Spokane wildfire: Morning Rundown — NBC News
• Is Washington wildfire smoke a threat to New Jersey? — Asbury Park Press
• Best temperatures of the week comes with a catch — KRDO
• North Texas faces triple-digit heat and poor air quality before weekend humidity surge — FOX 4 News
• World War II explosives emerge and detonate in wildfire-ravaged village in France: "Sound of war" — CBS News
• The Billion-Dollar Mistake Hidden in America's Buildings — Newsweek

Canairy aggregates publicly reported air-quality and wildfire news and summarizes it in plain English, with links to the original sources. This is educational information, not medical or emergency advice. In a wildfire or air-quality emergency, follow guidance from local authorities.