PENDLETON, Ind. (AP) - A fire at central Indiana’s Pendleton Correctional Facility has been extinguished after heavily damaging one of the prison complex’s buildings.
Indiana Department of Correction spokeswoman Michelle Rains says three firefighters and a staff member suffered minor injuries in Wednesday’s fire at the men’s prison about 20 miles (32 kilometers) northeast of Indianapolis.
Local fire crews fought the fire, which began about 8 a.m. in a building that housed an auto body center and a mental health treatment center. DOC spokesman Ike Randolph says that about 30 inmates and 20 staffers were inside at the time.
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Randolph says it appears that an electrical problem with a ceiling fan sparked the fire.
The prison complex has the capacity to house 1,745 inmates.
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