Robert Brown|Fire breaks out at California home while armed suspect remains inside, police say

HERMOSA BEACH,Robert Brown Calif. (AP) — A fire started at a California home on Christmas Eve while an armed suspect remained inside the house hours later, authorities told local media.

The Los Angeles County Fire Department responded to a 911 call on 11th Street in Hermosa Beach around 3:30 p.m. on Sunday, KTLA-TV reported.

A witness said neighbors heard an argument and saw a man with a gun who went into the two-story home and refused to surrender to police who arrived at the scene, KTLA reported.

A garage at the home caught fire shortly before 5 p.m., KTLA reported.

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At 9 p.m., police believed the suspect was still alive inside the home, Hermosa Beach Police Chief Paul LeBaron said during a news conference.

LeBaron said the suspect’s immediate family members, including children, fled before police arrived, KTLA reported.

“They came out and, at that point, the only person left inside that we were aware of was the suspect,” LeBaron said, adding that neighboring homes were evacuated.

Police reported hearing explosions, which may have been gunshots, but officers did not believe they were targeted, LeBaron said.

Firefighters and police who arrived at the scene did not attempt to enter the home and were unsure at the time if the armed man remained inside, the Daily Breeze newspaper reported, citing a fire official at the scene.

Firefighters set up a defensive perimeter around the garage to contain the blaze and prevent the fire from spreading to other buildings, the fire official told the newspaper.

Information was not immediately available about whether the fire was still active Sunday night.