Hoquiam police and fire responded Monday morning to an emergency call about a man suffering a mental health crisis.

Dispatched to the 700 block of Fourth Street, the initial report was that the 46-year-old man was acting suicidal in the garage and attempting to burn down the residence, said Hoquiam Police Chief Joe Strong in a news release.

The first officers on scene observed smoke coming from the garage and evacuated the house, according to the news release; the man barricaded himself inside the garage.

Personnel from the Grays Harbor Sheriff’s Office and Aberdeen Police Department reinforced the initial response and cordoned off the area, blocking the surrounding roads, with fire department personnel staged nearby.

After about two and a half hours of negotiation, with assistance from crisis negotiators and mobile crisis responders from Great Rivers Behavioral Health, the man allowed Hoquiam firefighters to enter the garage to assess the cause of the smoke. Officers were able to take the man into protective custody, the news release said, whereupon he was transported to Harbor Regional Health Community Hospital for evaluation by a designated crisis responder.

“We are fortunate to have team members from surrounding law and fire agencies to safely work through these crisis situations,” Strong said. “After the immediate threat was over, we were allowed to take time to communicate with the individual and de-escalate him. In the end, nobody was hurt, there was only minor smoke damage to the residence, and we are seeking help to the individual in crisis.”

As a mental health issue, there are no charges being filed, Strong said in an email.

Anyone experiencing mental health crisis or having suicidal ideation is strongly encouraged to call 988, the Suicide Prevention Hotline, Strong said.

Contact Senior Reporter Michael S. Lockett at 757-621-1197 or mlockett@thedailyworld.com.

Michael S. Lockett / The Daily World Police locked down an area of Hoquiam during a standoff with a man experiencing a mental health crisis on Aug. 28.

Michael S. Lockett / The Daily World Hoquiam firefighters walk toward a house where a man was experiencing a mental health crisis on Aug. 28.

Michael S. Lockett / The Daily World Police and fire personnel congregate after taking a man having a mental health crisis into protective custody in Hoquiam on Aug. 28.