LUDLOW (AP) — An eight-hour standoff with a retired police officer in Ludlow has ended with the man shooting himself in the midsection.

Authorities say 71-year-old George Stuart was taken to the hospital after two shots were heard in the woods behind his home at about 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday.

Police say officers at the scene did not discharge their weapons.

The incident started late Wednesday morning when authorities went to Stuart’s home for reports of a fire. Stuart went into the woods behind his home soon after.

Stuart is a former Springfield officer who retired in 1997.

The fire and standoff remain under investigation and no one has been charged.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.