Multiple city departments were dispatched to a threat turned arson early this morning.
Just after 7:30 a.m., Corpus Christi Police were called to a man’s home on the 1000 block of Linda Vista Street, near Columbia Street.
The man was threatening to hurt himself and others, prompting an emergency committal to the hospital.
That man then set his home on fire from the inside.
Police were able to take the man into custody before firefighters arrived, leaving them with the task of extinguishing his now engulfed home.
However, as police had warned CCFD that the man has a history of making threats with bombs and makeshift weapons, they were forced to attack the fire from the outside of the building.
"We are an aggressive department when it comes to firefighting, but when it comes to getting our people hurt, we are also very aggressive in that. We are not going to take any chances when that threat exists. When we arrived we heard some sort of popping noise, maybe fireworks or ammunition or something else that continued to cook off in the fire for approximately ten minutes," said Battalion Chief Jim DeVissar.
Devissar continued, "We’re gonna do the best that we can, but the safety of our firefighters and the public is paramount."
Because of the aforementioned threats and that popping noise, Corpus Christi Fire fought the entire blaze from the exterior of the structure.
It was put out within 20 to 30 minutes, with no injuries.
"It’s extremely dangerous in the fact that we know that in other areas of the country both police and firefighters have been injured responding to these types of calls. We made that decision that under no circumstance is anyone going to go inside the house, we aren’t going to open any doors, we aren’t going to break windows. We protected the property around the house as best as we could. And from all indications there’s no damage to any structures or vehicles that are around the house. We were very cautious about that, we don’t want to have any further damage than what’s already been done," said Chief DeVissar.
The bomb squad is on their way out to clear the house before anyone else can make entry.
The fire burned through the roof, and the house is now uninhabitable.
AEP is also on the scene, as some electrical equipment was damaged in the fire.
