Fire Follows Standoff at NorCal Mall

There were some scary moments Thursday at a Sacramento area mall.  First came a stand off with police and then came a fire and a flare up.

Smoke billowed skyward and flames shot from the roof of Westfield Galleria at Roseville in afternoon as an earlier fire flared up again.

One person was arrested in connection with a standoff and blaze that happened at the mall hours earlier.

Authorities said the original standoff occurred at the GameStop store at the mall, which was evacuated at about 10:30 a.m. Police and firefighters from several agencies responded.

The person taken into custody was brought outside of the mall by police, and he was questioned as he sat on a bench. At about 1 p.m., he was loaded into a police car and taken to the Roseville jail. His name has not been released.

Shortly before 2 p.m., a large plume of smoke rose from the mall. Flames could be seen shooting from the roof.

The person taken into custody is also suspected of playing a role in a fire at a Wal-Mart in Sacramento County earlier in the day, said Capt. Christian Pebbles of Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District.

The person in custody appeared to leave a backpack inside the mall. Police said it was not clear what is inside of the backpack.

Water could be seen trickling out of the door of the mall.

Authorities said the person involved in the standoff claimed to have a firearm at one point. Investigators said the motive behind the standoff was not clear.

A mall worker said he heard a fire alarm. He said everyone was told to leave the mall.

---KCRA.com

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