Body found in gutted Folsom home after barricaded suspect ordeal
A body was found Tuesday in the charred remains of the River Ridge Way residence in Folsom where a suspect’s standoff Monday ended in a raging inferno.
“Once the scene was secured and determined to be safe, Folsom Fire personnel conducted a search and located a deceased person inside the residence,” Folsom Police Department officials said in a noon update, calling the ordeal and its aftermath a “complex and tragic situation.”
Sacramento County coroner’s officials will release the identity at a later time, police said.
Officers worked through the night to gather clues into the incident. Their investigation continues, but the midday update shed more light on the shocking scene that played out in Folsom’s American River Canyon neighborhood.
The first calls to Folsom police from the suburban American River Canyon neighborhood off American River Canyon Drive came just after 4:30 p.m. The person inside was armed and potentially suicidal and had blocked themselves inside the house. The quiet street quickly turned into a chaotic scene as patrol cruisers and SWAT teams in armored vehicles swarmed the block and police officials evacuated nearby residents. Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District personnel and Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office deputies soon arrived on scene.
Nearly an hour later, at 5:26 p.m., Folsom Fire Department units arrived to plumes of smoke pouring from the home, their plan of attack complicated, fire officials said in a statement Tuesday, by the person barricaded inside.
More than 50 Folsom firefighters were forced to fight the growing flames from the street and overhead from ladder trucks training high pressure hoses onto the home’s roof as a television station’s helicopter captured the attack from above.
Firefighters and police officers worked together to place hose streams at a safe distance from the building to protect the exposure homes and prevent the fire from spreading, said Folsom Fire Department officials in a statement Tuesday. The officials cited the “significant safety threat” posed by the person believed inside for fire crews’ defensive stance.
By 6 p.m., flames had engulfed the house, tearing through and collapsing its roof as crews fought to keep the fire from spreading to neighboring homes. Firefighters were ultimately able to contain the fire to the River Ridge Way home and stop its spread.
Helicopter footage from a KCRA-TV helicopter about 7:30 p.m. showed an unidentified man, clad in reflective clothing, walking to the burning home before firefighters and Folsom police converged on the man. Officers then detained the man and took him to a waiting vehicle.
Folsom police on Tuesday said the man’s connection to the home or its occupants was unknown, but said in the statement that his presence at the home may have involved mental health concerns.
Police officials said no other information was available Tuesday afternoon, citing its ongoing investigation.
This story was originally published September 9, 2025 at 9:51 AM.
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