A deceased man was pulled from the wreckage of an Oakland liquor store last night following reports that he had barricaded himself inside and set it ablaze. CBS 5 reports that the Oakland Fire Department received word Tuesday evening that a belligerent man was inside Seminary Market & Liquors on Seminary Avenue and working to set it on fire, and when they arrived on scene the building was already engulfed in flames.
NBC Bay Area reports that a 911 caller said the man was armed, and according to the East Bay Times he actually got into an altercation with store patrons. The paper informs us that he allegedly had a knife and threw liquor bottles at customers — forcing store employees to flee and call police.
Oakland Fire Battalion Chief Nick Luby told the Times that the man most likely made his way into the store's back office, and it was there that he allegedly lit the fire. It took firefighters roughly 90 minutes to get everything under control, and the man's body was later discovered in the freezer section. He is believed to have died from smoke inhalation.
The suspected arsonist's name has yet to be released pending notification of his family, and at this time there is no known motive. Seminary Market & Liquors is completely destroyed.
