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Ryan Stanley found out Tuesday morning that his Basin Road home burned down last week because someone intentionally set a fire next door.

"It felt like someone punched me in the stomach," he said. "We're still getting over the original shock. And you know, the fact that it was arson definitely makes things more complicated as far as rebuilding our house. We're just hoping we can rebuild."

Most of the details are not being disclosed while the investigation continues, said Fire Marshal Dan Jager of Capital City Fire and Rescue.

"We examine burn patterns in the room where the fire started, and you know, basically our process is to figure out where it started, and how it started. By doing that process, we've eliminated the potential heat sources that would cause a fire in that space," Jager said.

Jager said he couldn't elaborate on the specific cause of the fire and said there are no suspects. Unlike on television, investigations aren't very cut and dry, he said.

The fire began around 1 a.m. June 3 in a ground level laundry room of an apartment building at 811 Basin Road. It spread next door to the home of Stanley, wife Laura Hosey and daughter Meadow Stanley. Nobody was injured.

The damage is estimated at $100,000 to the apartment building where the fire started and $300,000 for Stanley and Hosey's home. Both structures were insured.

Cheryl Buchanan, the live-in owner of the four-unit apartment building, said the ordeal has been devastating.

"I have faith that (they) will get to the bottom of this. Certainly help me and my family to put it to rest, to have some resolution," Buchanan said. "Even that one piece would help us to move on."

Buchanan said the entire building is uninhabitable and has no power or water. Buchanan, her son, and two tenants were living there. A third person was about to move in.

The conditions around the fire appear to fit with the state's definition of first degree arson, a felony punishable by up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

Jager said there has been about six arsons in Juneau in the last 18 months. Like many crime investigations, the pace of arson investigations is largely set by the evidence collected and people's willingness to share information.

• Contact reporter Jeremy Hsieh at 523-2258 or e-mail at jeremy.hsieh@juneauempire.com.