Lancaster City Police say a fire on the 500 block of West Vine Street was apparently set by a man who used to live there.
They say it all started around 2 pm and quickly escalated. When police arrived they say he has locked himself inside and displayed a handgun out of the window. The fire quickly escalated to 3 alarms. The current owner reported the suspect was trespassing and causing problems. When police arrived he was inside the home, had locked the door and held a handgun out the window.
Shortly after that, police noticed smoke was coming from the basement of the home. The suspect soon surrendered and was taken into custody.
” I was one of the first officers on the scene and it unfolded very quickly. The whole thing from the time we made contact to the time he displayed the gun and surrendered. I don’t know if it’s because he accomplished his goal or was overcome with smoke but the whole thing took 3 or 4 minutes,” says Sgt. Bill Hickey, Lancaster City Police Department
Police say at some point the suspect had switched the locks on the home.Police are continuing to investigate how the suspected started the fire.