Firefighters in a Florida community got a scary taste of heavy metal fire when they battled a blaze in a one-story home that contained some serious ammo. At one point some of the firefighters had to run for their lives.
The Hillsborough County home of death metal musician Patrick O’Brien erupted in flames Monday, and apparently the pyrotechnics common to heavy metal concerts weren’t limited to the stage.
“The dangerous complication here was ammunition stored within the home which was exploding due to the flames,” the Hillsborough County Fire Rescue department posted on Facebook Monday. “It took us nearly an hour to bring this one under control. Thankfully, there were no injuries.” The cause of the fire had not been determined.
O’Brien is the lead guitarist for the band Cannibal Corpse, which is booked to open Slayer’s farewell tour. The Slayer/Cannibal Corpse show is scheduled to play May 11 at West Palm Beach’s Coral Sky Amphitheater, with tickets set to go on sale Friday.
O’Brien wasn’t at his house when firefighters worked to put out the blaze, which had sent flames billowing into the night sky from the roof. And that’s where his troubles grew.
O’Brien was arrested and charged with aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer with a deadly weapon and burglary of an occupied dwelling. It is not clear if any charges will stem from the fire.
Rather, according to the Hillbsorough County Sheriff’s Department, O’Brien, 53, forced himself into a nearby home while his burned just before 7 p.m. Monday. Two people were in the other house and O’Brien is accused of pushing one of them to the ground as he ran to their backyard, WFTS ABC Action News reported.
When deputies arrived at the neighbors’ home, they say O’Brien ran at one of them with a knife in his right hand. O’Brien was Tasered and arrested.
No word yet if the show will go on for Cannibal Corpse on the Slayer tour, Rolling Stone reported.
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