LONGMONT, Colo. — Firefighters who responded to a fire at a Longmont business late Saturday night encountered a suspect still inside the building setting fires, according to a release from the Longmont Police Department (LPD).
Crews were called to Budget Home Supply on Boston Avenue about 11:30 p.m. Saturday. When crews arrived, they found heavy smoke inside.
Firefighters entered the building and found multiple fire starts, the release states. While extinguishing the fires, they found a man inside the building. Firefighters subdued him and took him out of the building.
“This was a first for us,” said Longmont Chief of Fire Jerrod Vanlandingham. “You don’t typically expect to encounter an arsonist lighting fires at the time you are trying to extinguish them.
"Our crews had little choice but to tackle the suspect, subdue him and drag him out of the building to awaiting police officers," Vanlandingham said. "These firefighters went above and beyond their call of duty by taking these actions, but most likely saved lives and property in doing so.”
The suspect, identified as 54-year-old Michael Schrodt, was arrested and taken to the Boulder County Jail. He faces the following charges:
- Criminal mischief > $100,000
- First-degree arson
- Second-degree burglary
- Reckless endangerment
After his arrest, Schrodt told a Longmont officer that his "patrol vehicle was too close to the building, and if we didn't leave, the whole building was going to blow up," according to a probable cause statement for his arrest from Longmont police.
Schrodt also told the officer, "he knew the building would blow up because he blew things up for a living in the Army" and "if we didn't leave immediately, we were all going to die," according to the statement.
That information was relayed to firefighters. The building was later cleared by police and fire staff in an attempt to locate possible additional suspects, fire extension, and possible secondary devices.
No additional suspects were located. There were no injuries.
A large concrete ashtray was used to break a window next to the door, according to the probable cause statement. Five ignition points were late found inside the building, the statement said.
The manger of the store estimated fire and water damage to be about $500,000 and damage to the glass to be about $1,200, according to the statement.
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