Police were called to a building fire Thursday afternoon in the Cascade neighborhood after firefighters encountered a man in crisis, armed with a knife, inside a burning building.
At about 4:30 p.m., the Seattle Fire Department was on the scene of a fire in the 200 block of Terry Avenue North. SFD requested SPD respond to assist with traffic control. As SFD moved into the building to fight the fire, they encountered a man inside, armed with a knife. Firefighters immediately backed out of the building and notified officers. At that point the fire had been extinguished, but there was still a significant amount of smoke in the building. Police could not safely make contact with the armed man so they, too, backed out of the building and called for additional resources.
Members of SPD’s Hostage Negotiation Team and SWAT responded to the scene. The man was eventually cooperative and surrendered peacefully. He was transported to the hospital for evaluation and treatment.
SPD’s Arson and Bomb Squad and SFD’s Fire Investigators processed the scene and ABS Detectives will investigate the incident.