ST. JOHN | Police have an Indiana man in custody and anticipate filing charges against him in connection with a weekend arson, officials said.

Fire and police personnel responded to a house fire about 9 p.m. Saturday in the 12400 block of Stark Court, Police Chief Fred Frego said.

"They quickly determined it was an obvious case of arson," he said.

Witnesses saw a man with a gas can walking away from the house, and the burn patterns were indicative of arson, Frego said.

Family members inside the house were watching television but escaped without injury, he said.

The fire melted siding on the house and caused extensive damage to an outside corner of the building, but it did not penetrate to the inside of the home, Frego said.

The fire was extinguished quickly.

Police plan to charge the man with arson. He could face higher charges because the home was occupied at the time of the fire, Frego said.

The suspect is a white man in his 20s who does not live in the area but does live in Indiana. He might have a connection to the victims, police said.

"Our investigation thus far revealed they know of him," Frego said.

Although they know of him, they are not acquainted with him, he said.

Because the investigation is ongoing, Frego said he could not elaborate on some of the details of the case.