Alaska State Troopers say they arrested a Nenana man on a first-degree arson charge Sunday after he reportedly burned down a home he occasionally lived in, but did not own.
Around 5:30 p.m. Friday, troopers got a report of structure fire about 10 miles north of Nenana. By the time the Nenana Volunteer Fire Department arrived at the fire, near Mile 315 of the Parks Highway, flames had swallowed the home and a nearby shed, sauna and two other small structures, said Beth Ipsen, troopers spokeswoman, in an email.
The Bureau of Land Management responded. Fire crews kept the flames from spreading into the surrounding forest with the aid of an aircraft, troopers said.
A fire marshal arrived at the property Saturday to investigate the fire. The next day, troopers arrested Tobin Chapman Hugny-Farr, whose identity, Ipsen said, "was determined by a thorough investigation that is ongoing." On Tuesday, Hugny-Farr was in custody at the Fairbanks Correctional Center. Court records say he is 26 years old.
The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner reported troopers interviewed Hugny-Farr, who appeared covered in black ash, after his father called them Saturday and reported he had found his son asleep in a camper on the property. Hugny-Farr admitted to setting the fires and said he was unhappy with his life, the News-Miner reported.