Jail fire forces evacuation
By Jack Stephens
Published in News on March 23, 2006 1:45 PM
Wayne County Jail inmates set a trash can on fire on the fifth floor before dawn today, forcing the evacuation of the entire floor of about 45 to 50 inmates, Sheriff Carey Winders said.
"Somehow someone set a trash can on fire outside of the cells," Maj. Ray Smith said.
An officer carried the trash can outside, and the Goldsboro Fire Department ventilated the floor from smoke, Fire Lt. Frank Sasser said. No damage or injuries resulted, he said.
Smith said the fire remained under investigation.
When the smoke cleared, Smith said inmates were moved to other cells on the floor.
Precautionary measures worked perfectly, Smith said. When the fire alarm sounded, the jail's air conditioners shut down, went into reverse and began drawing air from the building, and the elevators went to the first floor. The inmates were moved to an outdoor holding area.