Spokane County Sheriff's Office via CNN Newsource

By Karina Tsui, Holly Yan

(CNN) - A man is being held on suspicion of first-degree arson in connection with one of three wildfires tearing through eastern Washington state, authorities say, as firefighters race to contain infernos before they destroy more homes.

A trio of calamitous fires has engulfed more than 10,000 acres and destroyed hundreds of structures, including homes, in the Spokane area since igniting Saturday. As of Tuesday morning, the blazes were not contained, according to Inciweb, a clearinghouse for wildfire information.

 The situation is dire,  Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson told CNN Monday night.  These are neighborhoods in the city (of Spokane) that in large part have been just wiped out. 

Here's the latest on the wildfires scorching eastern Washington state:

• Thousands of homes in jeopardy: More than 700 structures have been destroyed and about 10,000 more were at risk, officials said Monday.

• Mass evacuations in place: About 65,000 Spokane County residents had evacuated as of Monday, officials said. Fire officials were trying to reach 14 people who have not been reachable. No injuries or deaths have been confirmed.

• 17 major wildfires statewide: While the three fires in the Spokane area - the Old Trails Fire, the Autumn Lane Fire, and the Fairview Fire - have scorched more than 10,000 acres, about 262,000 acres have been charred by 17 major fires burning across Washington, the state's commissioner of public lands said.

Arson suspect was seen in grass near fire's origin, sheriff says

Aaron F. Farinacci, 37, was arrested Monday in connection with the Old Trails Fire and is being held with bond set at $1 million, Spokane County Sheriff John Nowels said. He was booked on a preliminary charge of first-degree arson.

Farinacci was previously convicted of manslaughter in Arizona, the sheriff said.

 As far as we can determine right now, he is a Spokane resident,  Nowels said.

Farinacci was first seen by a witness Saturday, kneeling near the site where the Old Trails Fire started, the sheriff said. Later, the witn

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