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MIDVALE — A man with reported mental health issues is believed to have started a two-alarm fire at his own home Wednesday, according to police.
Police were forced to use a Taser on the 51-year-old man, whose name was not immediately released, after he came out of the burning Midvale house and was combative with officers who attempted to administer first aid.
"One, to get him treated for his injuries. And two, not to prolong the confrontation while the house was fully engulfed in case there were other victims inside the home. They just didn't have the luxury to sit there and try and talk him out of it," said Unified Police Sgt. Jared Richardson.
The fire was reported just after 11 a.m. at 8038 S. Main. Richardson said according to witnesses, the man who lives at the house was having an "episode" due to his mental illness and went into the backyard to light a cardboard box on fire.
"He brought that cardboard box that was on fire back into the house," Richardson said.
The fire quickly spread. When emergency crews arrived, the house was engulfed in flames, he said. The man and another person walked outside. The man who allegedly started the fire suffered burns to his hands and smoke inhalation.
But Richardson said he quickly became combative. After deploying a Taser on the man and placing him in handcuffs, he was taken to a local hospital to be treated. Doctors would also determine whether he needed to be held for additional mental health treatment or if he could be released and be booked into the Salt Lake County Jail, Richardson said.
The second person was treated at the scene. Investigators did not identify him or his relation to the other man.
Damage to the house was extensive, Richardson said.
Contributing: Sandra Yi
