Suspect Barricades Himself In Burning Sherman Way Building

VAN NUYS, CA — A fire broke out Monday morning as a SWAT Team surrounded a Van Nuys apartment building where an assault suspect was holed up, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. Several animals were injured or died in the blaze, which caused extensive damage to the building.

It was not immediately clear what caused the fire, but the barricaded suspect was eventually taken into custody and hospitalized with burn injuries. Some residents in the complex were evacuated, and some had been asked to shelter in place amid the chaos.

The blaze was reported late Monday morning in the three-story building in the 14300 block of West Sherman Way, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department.

Officers had been called to the scene at about 7:15 a.m. to take a suspect into custody, and a standoff ensued, the Los Angeles Police Department reported.

"Crews on the scene of a law enforcement standby noticed smoke, and subsequently fire, coming from a third-floor unit of a three-story center-hallway apartment building at 11:40 AM, and upgraded the assignment to a structure fire response," according to Nicholas Prange, Los Angeles Fire department spokesman. "Forty-two firefighters engaged in fire attack to confine the fire to the unit of origin, and extinguish the flames in 24 minutes, however smoke and water damage were more widespread than the fire damage. Firefighters assisted some residents with evacuation and instructed others to shelter in place."

According to Prange, two cats were killed in the fire and a dog suffered from smoke inhalation.

The cause of the fire is under active investigation, he added.

City News Service contributed to this report.