A Bismarck man was hospitalized for possible burns and smoke inhalation after allegedly setting fire to his home while authorities were trying to arrest him.
Members of the U.S. Marshals Service High Plains Fugitive Task Force went to the 600 block of South Ninth Street around 3 p.m. Wednesday to try to arrest Matthew Odegard, 45, on outstanding Burleigh County felony warrants.
Odegard had warrants for failing to appear on numerous cases and charges, according to the Bismarck Police Department. Court documents show felony warrants were issued in July last year for charges related to fleeing police in 2020 and 2022, to which Odegard has pleaded not guilty. Records also show warrants for misdemeanor driving offenses in Burleigh County and a misdemeanor in Morton County related to a personal watercraft violation.
Odegard barricaded himself in a room at the residence and did not follow officers’ commands to come out, police said. During negotiations, a fire started in the room, according to the department.
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The Bismarck Fire Department, Metro Ambulance and West Dakota SWAT team were called to the scene. Odegard eventually exited through a window of the home, and firefighters put out the blaze, police said. Odegard was taken to a local hospital for treatment. He was still hospitalized Thursday.
Fifteen Bismarck police officers responded to the scene, along with 11 firefighters and four fire trucks.
“I am grateful for the outcome of this response, as it could have been tragic for Bismarck’s first responders, but through our collaboration with other public safety agencies in Bismarck, a fire was extinguished, and Odegard was taken into custody without injury to officers, firefighters and emergency medical personnel," Police Chief Dave Draovitch said in a statement.
Police and fire investigators are still working the case, and criminal charges could result, the department said.