A witness said an armed man delayed firefighters when they responded about 5 o'clock Wednesday morning to a fire in a small apartment building at 3431 Lombard.

Officials suspect the man set a fire in his own apartment and in two other places. He was reportedly in the process of trying to set more fires when crews arrived and he held a knife on them to prevent them form battling the blaze, then he ran off.

Police tracked him down about two hours later when he ran into a patrol car about 10 blocks away. Everett Police Sergeant Cheryl Braley says the suspect was combative and resisted arrest. He was taken to a hospital. Police recovered two large knives.

No one was hurt in the fire.