A firefighter carries a hose toward a Mendenhall Valley house still experiencing flareups hours after a fire started early Saturday morning. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire file photo)

A firefighter carries a hose toward a Mendenhall Valley house still experiencing flareups hours after a fire started early Saturday morning. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire file photo)

JPD: Fire that destroyed home deliberately set by man who died from cause ‘not related to the fire’

Relative suffered life-threatening burns reentering house trying to find man, according to police.

This article has been updated to correct the spelling of Brayan Vieyra’s name.

A fire that destroyed a Mendenhall Valley home early Saturday morning was deliberately set by a man who then died in an adjacent room from a cause not related to the fire, the Juneau Police Department reported Wednesday.

Brayan Vieyra, 33, was found dead inside the home in the 8200 block of Aspen Avenue after Capital City Fire/Rescue responded to the fire at about 5:30 a.m. Saturday, according to a JPD information release and a family member who provided his name.

“The initial arson and death investigation reveal that a man intentionally started a fire in the living room area of his residence and then went into another room within the home where he was later found deceased,” the release states. “The preliminary investigation into the cause of his death indicates the 33 year-old man’s death was not related to the fire and is not suspicious in nature.”

ADVERTISEMENT
0 seconds of 0 secondsVolume 0%
Press shift question mark to access a list of keyboard shortcuts
00:00
00:00
00:00
 

Erann Kalwara, a JPD spokesperson, declined to provide additional details about the cause of the man’s death.

Vieyra’s wife, Elizabeth Martinez Ruiz, told the Empire on Wednesday evening she had not been informed yet of the JPD’s update on the circumstances of the fire and her husband’s death. She was at work when the fire occurred and said Wednesday she didn’t know enough from talking to three other family members who were sleeping in the house when the fire started to comment about the circumstances as described by JPD.

The three other people in the house when the fire started were able to escape safely, but a cousin of Ruiz’s was seriously injured trying to reenter to find Vieyra, according to the release.

“One of the men re-entered the home in an attempt to locate the fourth occupant, not knowing he was deceased,” the release states. “The man sustained life-threatening burns.”

Ruiz said her cousin is still recovering, but in stable condition at an Anchorage hospital.

Several pets died in the fire and the house is considered a total loss, according to JPD. An investigation by JPD and CCFR is continuing.

A GoFundMe set up on behalf of Ruiz and her family has raised more than $31,000 as of Wednesday evening. Ruiz said she plans to use some of the money to bring her husband’s remains to Mexico, where he was born and has family, while some will be used to help with her cousin’s medical bills.

• Contact Mark Sabbatini at mark.sabbatini@juneauempire.com

More in News

(Juneau Empire file photo)
Aurora forecast through the week of March 16

These forecasts are courtesy of the University of Alaska Fairbanks’ Geophysical Institute… Continue reading

A map of Alaska shows the three Social Security Administration field offices in Juneau, Anchorage and Fairbanks. (Google Maps)
Social Security may cut phone support, force Alaskans online or to Juneau, Anchorage or Fairbanks

Reports: About 40% of claims handed by phone nationwide, 60,000 rural Alaskans lack broadband.

Rep. Jeremy Bynum, R-Ketchikan, speaks Feb. 21, 2025, on the floor of the Alaska House of Representatives. (James Brooks/Alaska Beacon)
Alaska legislators ask feds to reinstate program that sent money to rural schools

The Alaska House of Representatives is asking Congress to fix a problem… Continue reading

An aerial view of downtown Juneau. (Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire file photo)
Local federal workers get mixed messages about returning to jobs after firings rescinded

DOT worker says he’s supposed to resume work Thursday; Forest Service worker says status still unclear.

A storage shed on Meadow Lane catches fire Monday morning. (Photo by Chelsea Stonex)
Storage shed fire spreads to two vehicles, causing explosion, but no injuries reported

Two homes on Meadow Lane suffer broken windows and other damage, according to CCFR.

A 2.9-acre plot of land donated to Huna Totem Corp. by Norwegian Cruise Line is the site for the proposed Aak’w Landing private cruise ship dock. (Michael S. Lockett / Juneau Empire file photo)
Amendments to Huna Totem’s proposed private cruise dock to be taken up Monday night by the Assembly

A dozen proposals seek limits on ship size, fines for violations, setting various operational goals.

(Michael Penn / Juneau Empire file photo)
Police calls for Saturday, March 15, 2025

This report contains public information from law enforcement and public safety agencies.

(Michael Penn / Juneau Empire file photo)
Police calls for Friday, March 14, 2025

This report contains public information from law enforcement and public safety agencies.

(Michael Penn / Juneau Empire file photo)
Police calls for Thursday, March 13, 2025

This report contains public information from law enforcement and public safety agencies.

Most Read