By AP/KWMU
St. Louis – Two men are dead after a long standoff ended with a building fire Monday afternoon.
Officers responded around 10 a.m. to a call from a man saying he was being held hostage at a business in south St. Louis.
Police went to the scene on California Avenue, but were unable to communicate with anyone inside.
Police said they found two men dead in the building Monday afternoon after someone inside started a fire. Police said they did not fire any shots.
Witnesses said the men were involved in a personal dispute, and authorities stopped short of calling the incident a hostage situation.
Channel 2 reported that one of the men inside the building called the TV station saying he was being held at gunpoint by a man who believed he was an informant in a federal drug case.