Albert Barnes Commentary Nehemiah 1:3

"And they said unto me, The remnant that are left of the captivity there in the province are in great affliction and reproach: the wall of Jerusalem also is broken down, and the gates thereof are burned with fire." — Nehemiah 1:3 (ASV)

The attempt to rebuild the wall in the time of the Pseudo-Smerdis (Ezra 4:12–24) had been stopped. It still remained in ruins. The Assyrian sculptures show that it was the usual practice to burn the gates.