One person in critical condition after barricade, fire in Victoria: Police

VICTORIA – British Columbia’s police watchdog is investigating after one person went to hospital following an apartment fire in Victoria.

Police say in a statement that officers responded on Christmas evening to reports of an armed person causing a disturbance in a multi-unit residential building downtown.

They say the person had barricaded himself or herself in the suite and a tactical emergency response team was called.

As the team was deploying, officers say they saw smoke coming from the suite and called the fire department.

Police say the firefighters extinguished the blaze while tactical officers moved in, and the suspect was taken to hospital in critical condition.

Victoria police say the Independent Investigations Office, which investigates any incident where police actions or inactions may have caused harm or death, has been notified and is reviewing what happened.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 26, 2019.