NORTHAMPTON - Sometimes the simplest questions are the hardest to answer. Glenn Siegel and Laura Seftel, owners of the 26 Union St. home that burned during a spate of suspicious fires early Sunday, have been asked "How are you doing?" countless times, by friends, by family and by an ever-increasing crush of media.

The answer is, they don't know.

"We're still in shock, in flux," Seftel said Monday afternoon as curious folks on foot, or driving, paused at their home to survey the damage. "If anyone asks, we may need things but we are still sorting it all out. We don't need kitchen stuff (yet). We still have to find a place to live." The family currently is staying with friends in the area.

"It hits in waves," Siegel said, his black scarf askew, looking tired and drawn. "You wake up, and it's like, 'Oh yeah.'"

Details that need attention, and broader concerns, are bombarding the family. "I just got this belt at the hospice shop," Siegel said with a smile, noting the small victory. "I thought of going to the gym, but I don't have any sneakers," he said, pointing to his shoes.

Seftel said a check from the Red Cross helped send the group on a little shopping spree. "It was like a game show," she said with a laugh, imitating handing over money for all sorts of necessities.

On a wider list of headaches the family must contend with, "You're trying to deal with credit card companies, and your license has melted," Siegel said.

Siegel is director of WMUA FM91, the radio station of UMass. He also produces concerts for the Fine Arts Center. Seftel is an art therapist.

The parents have sought to shield their children, Henry Siegel, 15, and Arlo Siegel, 12, from TV cameras, reporters and people stopping by to ask how they can help. Glenn Siegel said he feels a bit overwhelmed as he responds to practical necessities like buying clothes and returning phone calls, while struggling to comprehend a heinous act that has changed their lives.

Amid grief, though, there is gratitude. "If there's a silver lining, it's all the response to this," Siegel said. "I looked in my inbox and started tearing up," he said, referring to a flood of email messages. "And there's supposedly a Facebook group and people wanting to do benefits. It's amazing."

"I'm in shock still," he said. "But it's like they say, 'the little things in life aren't things.'"