On Monday night, around 8:45 pm, Upper Darby police responded to a reported “man with a knife” at State Rd and Ormond Ave. Upon their arrival, the male fled several blocks to his home at 3304 State Rd. Police units surrounded the house and officers observed the subject, who barricaded himself inside, screaming out the windows at them while stabbing the walls and furniture in his home. Members of Company 20 were glued to the police radio listening to the action, but were interrupted when the tones dropped for a fire alarm activation at the Riverview Church, 337 Riverview Ave, bringing in Companies 20 and 36 (Cardington-Stonehurst), as well as Engine 26 (Highland Park). D/C 20-9A (M. Morgan) arrived first and began investigating, followed by Engine 20-1. As crews were investigating, a half-mile away on State Rd police observed smoke beginning to fill the home. Officers then advised that the subject set a fire inside a rear bedroom and they needed the fire department dispatched and staged a block away. 20-9A advised fireboard that 20-1 and Ladder 36 could complete the investigation and other units could respond to the house fire. The balance of Company 20, Company 26, Quint 37 (Upper Darby), RIT-74 (Primos-Secane), and Medic units from Station 103 (DCMH) were then dispatched to 3304 State Rd for the working building fire. Engine 26-1 arrived first and made contact with police, who advised they could stretch a line to the exterior rear of the 1 and 2 story split-level home, as heavy fire was now blowing out several rear windows. 26-1’s crew then stretched an 1 ¾” line to the rear and began extinguishing the fire from the exterior while being covered by police units. 26-1 established their own water supply as Engine 20-2 arrived and began assisting them. Ladder 20 arrived next and the crew was sent to the roof via ground ladders to begin ventilation. Other arriving units began staging as police continued developing a plan to get to the armed subject. As the smoke conditions lightened up inside the home, police began entering and searching for the subject. After concluding the search, police found the house to be clear. At that time, police spotted the subject hiding in bushes out front of the home, after apparently slipping out a basement window. The subject again attempted to flee police, while still armed with the knife, and jumped into an Upper Darby police car and locked the doors. Unfortunately for the subject, there were no keys in the vehicle. Police officers broke open a window and were able to subdue the subject with less-lethal means. The subject was then taken into custody and transported to a local hospital for treatment of several injuries, including self-inflicted stab wounds. With the house finally safe, fire crews were able to enter the dwelling and finish extinguishing hot spots, as well as conduct salvage and overhaul. Police and Fire personnel worked very well together on this extremely dangerous incident and were able to control the situation as quickly as possible. Luckily, nobody was injured except for the bad guy. All fire units cleared the scene around 11:30 pm and coverage for Station 20 was provided by Engine 09 (Sharon Hill) and Tower 05 (Glenolden).

 
Units on Scene: Engines 20-1, 20-2, & 20-3, Ladder 20, Rescue 20, Engine 26-1, Ladder 26, Quint 37, RIT/Engine 74-2, Rehab Unit 34 (Llanerch), Medic 103, 103-7A, & 103-7B, 7th & 8th District Fire Police, Upper Darby Police, and Septa Police.