Police say a man who barricaded himself in a burning home in Leominster on Monday morning was found dead inside hours later.
A Massachusetts State Police Special Tactical Operations team, local police, firefighters and a crisis negotiator responded to a home at 8 Eden Glen Road after receiving a report of a barricaded man inside.
The man was the “subject of a Section 35 civil commitment warrant,” according to police. Officers went to the home Monday morning to serve the warrant, but police say he refused to surrender and that the home then became engulfed in flames.
Acting Leominster Police Chief Michael Goldman says the warrant was taken out by a family member. The warrant was said to be related to substance abuse problems.
Heavy smoke and flames could be seen shooting into the air. After crews knocked down the fire and entered the home, police say the man’s body was found on the first floor.
Police tried to negotiate with the man for a significant amount of time in an effort to draw him out before his death. He was said to be alone in the home, where his mother also lived.
Heavily armed SWAT teams could be seen outside the home as residents were asked to shelter in place during the standoff. Some nearby homes and businesses were evacuated as precaution.
“We flooded the area with man power immediately,” Goldman said when asked about the police response. “That included the entire shift of the Leominster Police Department.”
The cause of the man’s death was not immediately known. The incident is under investigation.
Residents have since been allowed back into the neighborhood.
No additional details were immediately available.
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