Man arrested after allegedly barricading self in Colorado Springs hotel room during fire

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KKTV) – A man remains in custody Sunday morning after police say he barricaded himself inside a hotel room during a fire.

Police officers, along with firefighters, responded to a hotel in downtown Colorado Springs just after 5 p.m. Saturday after a fire alarm went off. The fire was narrowed down to a single room, and police say the suspect wouldn’t let firefighters in.

“The room was occupied by the suspect, who refused to open the door and barricaded the door. CSFD forced entry into the room and CSPD detained the occupant,” a police lieutenant said.

Once in the room, firefighters were able to quickly extinguish the flames. The fire was kept contained to the room, and no other part of the hotel had damage, the lieutenant said.

The suspect was taken from the hotel to the El Paso County Jail. He has been identified by police as Mitchell Highsmith.

Police did not say whether Highsmith was suspected of starting the fire.

The name of the hotel was not given, but police say it was located on South Nevada near Pikes Peak Avenue.

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