BEATTYVILLE, Ky. (AP) - Inmates at a privately run Lee County prison set three buildings on fire Tuesday night, but there were no immediate reports of injuries, corrections officials said.
Lisa Lamb, a spokeswoman for the Kentucky Department of Corrections, said the fires started just after 7 p.m. EDT outside two dormitories and an administration building at the Lee Adjustment Center.
The two dorm fires were extinguished, but the fire at the administration building continued to smolder late Tuesday night, Lamb said.
Inmates housed in one of the burned dorms were evacuated with no injuries, Lamb said.
Officials were unsure why the inmates started the fire and how many were involved, Lamb said. Lamb said guards were still in the process of locking down the facility as of 10:45 p.m. EDT Tuesday.
Corrections officers were counting the inmates to account for all of them, Lamb said. Lamb said no inmates escaped during the disturbance.
Corrections Corporation of America, based in Nashville, Tenn., runs the prison, which holds about 800 men.
Lamb said 400 of the inmates are from Kentucky and 400 are from Vermont being held at the facility on a contract between that state and CCA.
(Copyright 2004 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
For the latest information, watch 27 NEWSFIRST.
There have been news report on tv saying that there may have been staff personnel who were being held hostage, but that was never confirmed. I know lots of guys who work at that place, some of them are even my friends. At last report it soinded as if all the guards and staff were accounted for and ok, so that's the important thing.
I live in a neighboring town but there have been police, EMS and fire units sent to the prison from 6 counties. It sounds as if they pretty much have the two dorm fires under control but the admin building is still burning. You could see a big glow in the sky from the tv news crew who was at the staging area where all the emergency services are reporting to. Police helicopters with search lights have been orbiting the area and SWAT teams have been securing the perimeter. As of yet, they don;t know how many inmates may have escaped, if any. I've heard several helicopters fly over my area. I'm not sure if they were police or medical, as they had a big triage operation set up as well, in case there were lots of injuries. But it sounds as if there is, it's only among prisoners. Hopefully everything is now back under control but things were pretty tense for several hours.
I suppose I better keep a gun handy just in case some of these assmunches manage to get through the fence before all the cops surrounded the area. You never know where they could end up. And I sure as hell will not be answering any knocks at the door tonight unless I am certain I know who it is. Damn friggin criminals!