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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Spokane man held after suspicious fire at Alaska lodge

Associated Press

ANCHORAGE, Alaska – A 33-year-old Spokane man has been arrested on suspicion of arson and criminal mischief at a rural lodge in Cantwell.

Alaska State Troopers say Jayson Kapfer was arrested after a fire Sunday that destroyed the hotel portion of the Cantwell Lodge.

Cantwell is a Parks Highway community about 100 miles southwest of Fairbanks.

The Cantwell Fire Department responded to the fire shortly after 3:30 a.m. and concluded it had been set.

Investigators confirmed the cause and learned Kapfer left just before the fire department arrived.

Investigators also learned Kapfer had damaged two vehicles belonging to hotel tenants.

Troopers on Sunday afternoon contacted Kapfer as he walked toward Fairbanks on Alaska Railroad tracks. After questioning, he was jailed in Fairbanks.

It’s not known whether he has at attorney.

Kapfer has a lengthy criminal record in Spokane, serving time for vehicular assault, trafficking in stolen property and residential burglary. In 2005, at the age of 20, he was sentenced to 31 months in prison after pleading guilty to first degree arson.