Kelowna RCMP say a distraught man was arrested following “a very dynamic situation” at a local apartment building on Thursday morning.
According to police, officers quickly responded to an urgent call for help from the Kelowna Fire Department following a report of a fire along the 1000 block of Harvey Avenue.
The call came just before 6 a.m. and quickly developed into an incident involving the RCMP’s Emergency Response Team and part of Harvey Avenue being temporarily blocked off.
“Firefighters made the urgent request for police assistance after they located an extremely distraught man inside the building with obvious injuries,” Kelowna RCMP said in a press release on Friday.
“After a brief confrontation between fire crews, the man who was observed to be armed with a knife and bear spray subsequently barricaded himself inside a unit of the building.”
“Concerned for the safety and well-being of the other occupants of the building, firefighters and then frontline officers took steps to evacuate residents, who were provided temporary shelter on public transit buses,” said RCMP Cpl. Jocelyn Noseworthy.
“RCMP worked diligently to provide cover and protection to firefighters who worked strategically to fight the fire and evacuate smoke from the building.”
Part of Harvey Avenue was closed off, a detour around the scene was established, say police, and the building was cordoned off.
The RCMP’s Southeast District Emergency Response Team (ERT) was brought in, along with a critical incident commander and a crisis negotiator.
“The distraught and injured 67-year-old Kelowna man was taken into custody with the assistance of the tactical Emergency Response Team,” said Kelowna RCMP.
“The arrest was complicated by the challenging conditions at the scene, including smoke, water and, of course, a fire.”
Police say the man was immediately assessed at the scene by BC Emergency Health Services and was transported to hospital for medical treatment and care.
They added that he’s since been released from custody pending further investigation and could face charges.
“At this time, we believe that the injuries sustained by the man arrested were self-inflicted, and investigators are in the process of determining the cause of the fire in this building,” said Noseworthy.
Police added that multiple officers were treated for smoke inhalation and that a member of the ERT sustained a non-life-threatening injury, which required medical attention at the hospital.
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