A 50-year old North Branch man barricaded himself in a home on Martus Road Saturday evening, making for a few tense moments for members of the Lapeer County sheriff department. According to police, family members said the man was going to harm himself Saturday around 6 p.m. Deputies saw the man in the house, that was quickly filling with smoke. Sheriff deputies and the Lapeer County Sheriff’s Special Response Team surrounded the home and made contact with the man who allegedly set fire to the home. Deputies convinced the man to surrender his shotgun and rescued him through a basement window. He was taken to McLaren Lapeer for treatment of his burns and smoke inhalation and later transferred to Hurley Medical Center. North Branch and Deerfield Township Fire Department extinguished the fire after the stand-off ended. The Lapeer County Sheriff’s Department continues its investigation.
