SOUTH AMHERST, Ohio -- A man is in custody Wednesday night following a hostage situation involving two South Amherst firefighters.

Firefighters were called to the house in the 100 block of Hornyak Road about 6:30 p.m. for a report of a fire in a wooded area near Quarry Road. A man who lives at the house armed with a rifle came outside and took two firefighters hostage, South Amherst Fire Chief Al Schmitz said at a press conference.

Property records from the Lorain County Auditor says Roy Griffith Sr. owns the home. Neighbors said the man taken into custody was Roy Griffith Jr., who lives at the home with his father.

The Lorain County Sheriff's Office and the South Amherst Fire Department declined to confirm Griffith Jr.'s arrest, but Lorain County Jail records list him as an inmate. The jail's website does not list what charges he faces or whether he has a bond, but it lists his initial court appearance is Oct. 23.

Eight firefighters responded to the scene. The man came out of the house and stood by the fire truck. Schmitz said that his firefighters noticed that the man seemed agitated before he went back inside his house.

The man came back outside with a rifle and took the lieutenant and the assistant chief hostage, Schmitz said. Their names have not been released.

Two other firefighters ran into the woods when they saw the man with the rifle, Schmitz said. The remaining firefighters were not close to the fire truck when the hostages were taken, Schmitz said.

First responders from the surrounding area converged on the scene, including the Lorain County Sheriff's Office's SWAT team.

State Highway Patrol closed the Ohio Turnpike in both directions between Baumhart Road and the travel plaza during the stand-off as a precaution. It is now fully re-opened.

The man told the hostages that he wanted beer and his psychiatric medication, Lt. Heath Tester of the Lorain County Sheriff's Office's SWAT team said.

The firefighters were held hostage for about two hours, Tester said. SWAT team members convinced the man to release the men one by one.

The man was not threatening toward his hostages during the stand-off, Schmitz said.

Lyle Bennett, who lives next door to the man, said his neighbor knew the two hostages personally. Another neighbor, Patricia Hembree, said that she knew the suspect had been unemployed "for a while."

"People get down on their luck sometimes. This was a real shame," Bennett said.

Plain Dealer reporter Michael Sangiacomo contributed to this report.