Fire Erupts During Laguna Hills Standoff
LAGUNA HILLS (CBSLA) – A fire erupted Tuesday at a Laguna Hills home during a standoff with a suspect who was barricaded inside.
The standoff began at around 11 a.m. at a home on Greenfield Drive. At some point, a fire broke out.
According to the Orange County Fire Authority, crews responded, but were forced to take a defensive position because it was not safe to enter the home.
It appears the original call was about a family dispute, but it may have been a dispute between neighbors, said Gail Krause, a spokeswoman for the sheriff's department.
"When (deputies) arrived they tried to make contact but the door was locked and they noticed the smoke and open flames," Krause said.
Orange County Fire Authority firefighters were in a "defensive posture," having to pour water on the flaming house from a distance while a resident was barricaded in the home, Krause said.
They managed to put the fire out and keep it from spreading while deputies safely evacuated nearby homes, Krause said. The fire caused significant damage to the house.
Neighbors alerted deputies to the suspect, who was taken in to custody nearby shortly afternoon, she said.
(© Copyright 2020 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. City News Service contributed to this report.)
