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

HERMOSA BEACH, California — A fire broke out at a California home on Christmas Eve, with an armed suspect remaining 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 on Sunday around 3:30 p.m., KTLA-TV reported.

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

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

At 9 p.m., police believed the suspect was still alive in the home, Hermosa Beach Police Chief Paul LeBaron said at 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, as far as we knew, was the suspect,” LeBaron said, adding that neighboring homes were evacuated.

Police reported hearing explosions, possibly gunshots, but officers did not believe they were targeted, LeBaron said.

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

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

No information was immediately available on whether the fire was still active Sunday night.