BIG LAKE -- What started as a house fire ended in a standoff with police in Big Lake Township.

The Sherbune County Sheriff's Office says at around 9:45 a.m. Monday morning, firefighters from the Big Lake Fire Department responded to a house fire in the 19000 block of 180th Avenue in Big Lake Township.

Authorites say while the firefighters were trying to put out the fire, they noticed a man in the back yard of the home holding a handgun and warning the crews to leave the area.

Police then immediately responded to the home, and tried to talk with the man for around 2 hours.

Sheriff Joel Brott says the man shot himself around 11:40 a.m. while officers were negotiating with him. The victim was immediately taken to Monticello Hospital with life-threatening injuries.

His identity is being withheld at this time. The house was destroyed in the fire, but did not damage neighboring homes.

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