Law enforcement officers from three agencies took three people into custody Friday afternoon after a three-hour standoff in central Colorado Springs.

The standoff began around 1:30 p.m. Friday when El Paso County Sheriff’s Office deputies went to a house to question three people about a fire in Green Mountain Falls this week that claimed the Town Hall. Though two of the people went peaceably with the deputies, the third initially refused to leave the house.

The home, on Eagle View Drive, between Constitution  and Oriole avenues, was then blocked off by deputies. Once the situation became a standoff, the Sheriff’s Office notified the Colorado Springs Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The police SWAT team began negotiating with the man, who eventually gave himself up at 4:30 p.m.

The three were remanded into custody of the Sheriff’s Office.

Sgt. Michael Schaller, the public information officer for the Sheriff’s Office, said the three are not considered suspects but are being interviewed in connection with the fire in Green Mountain Falls. There was no obvious reason for the standoff, Schaller said.

“We don’t have any arrest warrants or charges pending, so I don’t know what would’ve made this guy not come out,” Schaller said.

The Town Hall in Green Mountain Falls was burned to the ground just after midnight Wednesday. A neighbor reported that an explosion rocked the area. The fire threatened nearby homes, but firefighters were able to contain the blaze. The Town Hall, however, was lost.

The ATF got involved once officials suspected arson.

The sheriff’s arson investigator is working on the case, but Schaller said it has not been determined yet whether the explosion was intended or accidental.

School District 11 propane-powered bux Photo by School District 11