12-Hour Standoff In Placerville Ends After Fire

PLACERVILLE (CBS13) – Authorities say a standoff that had lasted nearly 12 hours ended after a fire prompted the suspect to come out of the house he was hiding in.

Deputies first showed up at the 2200 block of Cold Springs Road home around 11:30 a.m. Thursday to serve an arrest warrant to a domestic violence suspect. Deputies say the suspect refused to come out of the house.

At some point during the initial encounter, deputies say that the man came outside with a knife and threatened to kill himself.

A SWAT team and negotiators were soon called to the scene. During the ensuing 12-hour standoff, negotiators threw two phones into the home but say the man – who is not being identified at this time – refused to answer their calls. Gas was even fired into the home, but the man still refused to come.

Around 11 p.m., a robot was sent in and found the man was hiding in a bedroom closet.

Shortly after, deputies saw that a small fire had begun to burn inside the bedroom. As the fire began to spread through the bedroom, the man finally came out and was taken into custody. He was reportedly airlifted from the scene to be treated for unspecified injuries.

The home suffered "significant" damage, but fire crews were able to stop the flames from damaging any other homes nearby.

It is unclear how the fire started.

Deputies say the incident is still under investigation.