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Updated on June 25, 2018 11:48 AM EDT
LONG BEACH, California – Officials say that one firefighter is dead, and another firefighter and a civilian were injured during a shootout in a retirement home in Southern California. The shootout occurred Monday after firefighters responded to an alarm before dawn in an 11-story tower in Long Beach, south of Los Angeles. A person of interest is in custody, according to the police.
Long Beach Fire Chief Mike DuRee said firefighters who responded to a report of an explosion and gas smell at the retirement home saw windows blow and a fire that they then extinguished. Soon after, they were targeted.
The three victims were taken to the hospital for treatment. One of the firefighters died about four hours after the shooting, Duree said.
DuRee said the 45-year-old man who died was a 17-year veteran of the department and left behind a woman and two children.
"It's a tough day," said Duree at a press conference Monday, wiping his tears.
The civilian is in critical condition and undergoing surgery, DuRee said. It is not known if the victim is a resident of the institution.
The second firefighter should recover completely, added Duree.
Police Sgt Brad Johnson says that a man suspected of shooting is a resident of the institution and was detained. Long Beach Police Chief Robert Luna says a motive remains under investigation, but an ambush is "definitely on the table".
"It's the environment we're working in today as police and firefighters," Luna said.
A resident told CBS Los Angeles that he had seen an explosion on the outside of a sliding glass door. He said he saw one of his neighbors being shot.
Another resident told the station that when he drove a group of people to the outside of the building, he saw a man sitting in the staircase between the third and second floor, a weapon in hand, looking at the weapon. The group went back up and found another way out before telling the police what they saw.
The resident said that he knew the man as a regular cyclist in the area, but that he did not know his name.
© 2018 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, disseminated, rewritten or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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