Longview firefighters were blocked by a hostile resident who retreated into the smoke-filled home, prompting a police response and mental health crisis team callout

By Matthew Esnayra
The Daily News

LONGVIEW, Wash. — Longview fire crews put out a basement fire Tuesday morning in the St. Helens neighborhood near Lake Sacajawea despite being denied access into the home by a person inside.

Based on previous encounters, Longview police report the person has mental health issues so the department’s behavioral health unit and the Lower Columbia Regional Crisis Negotiations Team were called to the scene.

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Longview Police Capt. Branden McNew told The Daily News no one at the scene was arrested.

Both departments also report no one was reported injured at the fire that occurred just before 9 a.m. at a home in the 600 block of 23rd Avenue, according to a joint statement.

Fire crews arrived at the scene around 8:40 a.m., ten minutes before the police were dispatched to the scene, and report seeing smoke emitting from the basement windows.

Firefighters report a person inside the residence was hostile towards them, then retreated back into the smoke-filled home.

With no access to the first floor, crews sprayed water from outside a basement window, then entered using an outside door, extinguishing the blaze at about 8:52 a.m.

Neighboring structures were not damaged, and the cause of the fire is under investigation.

Police also report officers believed the person inside may have had access to firearms, so they tried to negotiate outside the home.

They used drones to make sure the person was still inside.

Two hours later, the person talked to officers face-to-face at the door, but declined medical care and other assistance, according to the departments’ notice.

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