THE Independent Investigations Office of British Columbia (IIO BC) are investigating an incident in Langley where one man is believed to be deceased.

The RCMP said that on November 10 at approximately 10:15 a.m., they were requested to check on the well-being of an individual who was distraught and made concerning comments. Officers worked on locating the individual and were able to eventually locate him at a residence in the 23000 block of 0 Avenue in Langley at around 4 p.m.

Langley RCMP officers reported shots being fired from inside the building. As a result, the LMD Integrated Emergency Response Team (IERT) also attended and attempted in various ways to communicate with the individual who had barricaded himself inside the building.

At approximately 10:40 p.m., a fire erupted and eventually engulfed the building. It is believed the individual did not exit the building and is believed to have perished in the blaze.

RCMP said that Langley Fire Department was still actively working at the scene and once safe to do so, efforts to search for the individual will continue.

Two police vehicles used for containment were heavily damaged by the fire. No one else was injured.

The IIO BC said it was notified of the incident shortly after it occurred, and initial investigative steps will seek to confirm the details of the incident and what role police action or inaction played in it.

The IIO is requesting any person with relevant information or video footage of the incident to contact the Witness Line toll-free at 1-855-446-8477 or via the contact form on the iiobc.ca website.

Langley RCMP said it is conducting a parallel investigation into the events preceding the interaction with police.

MEANWHILE, CBC reports that the stand-off took place on a blueberry farm owned by the Brar family who told it that a man had rented space on the property to park his RV for about a decade. The man barricaded himself inside the barn where his RV was parked and didn’t let anybody come in.