Blaze rages as ax-wielding man holds off firefighters to look for cat, Oregon cops say

Firefighters trying to battle a blaze early Saturday at a tow company shop found themselves confronted by a 54-year-old man wielding two long-handled axes, sheriff’s officials say.

Eddie Elwood Newingham of La Pine, Oregon, drove off firefighters and deputies as he returned repeatedly to the burning shop to search for a cat, the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office says in a release.

The 1 a.m. fire caused extensive damage to a shop at High Lakes Towing and Recovery along with an RV and several other vehicles parked nearby, the release says.

Deputies ordered Newingham, a tow company employee, several times to leave the shop so firefighters could douse the blaze but he refused, according to the release.

They eventually cordoned him off and used de-escalation techniques to coax Newingham into giving up the axes, the release says.

No cat was found in the shop or at the scene, KTVZ reported.

Fire officials believe the blaze began as a result of welding repairs being done to an RV parked beside the shop, according to the release.

Newingham was cited on suspicion of interfering with a firefighter, interfering with an officer and menacing, the release says.

This story was originally published June 15, 2020 at 1:23 PM with the headline "Blaze rages as ax-wielding man holds off firefighters to look for cat, Oregon cops say."