All inmates evacuated from Portsmouth city jail after fire breaks out in basement
PORTSMOUTH — All inmates in the Portsmouth city jail were evacuated to an undisclosed location early Sunday morning after a fire broke out in the facility’s basement, according to jail and fire officials.
The blaze, first reported at 1:38 a.m., began in a tool room, according to a release from the fire department. It was later upgraded to a two-alarm fire and wasn’t brought under control until 4:21 a.m. the release said.
Because smoke quickly began spreading throughout the eight-story building, officials decided to evacuate all inmates, the release said. The location was not identified, and a sheriff’s spokesman didn’t respond Sunday to messages asking how many inmates were involved.
All inmates and jail staff were accounted for afterward, and no injuries among them were reported, the release said. One firefighter was taken to a hospital for evaluation and listed in stable condition.
The city recently announced plans to purchase the Hampton Roads Regional Jail on Elmhurst Lane in Portsmouth.
The regional jail — which had taken in overflow inmates from Portsmouth, Chesapeake, Norfolk, Hampton and Newport News since opening in 1998 — recently closed. The jail’s authority voted last month to approve the sale to Portsmouth. City officials said at the time that inmates could be moved there as soon as July.
The current city jail can hold 288 inmates, while the Hampton Roads Regional Jail has a capacity of up to 1,300.
Jane Harper, jane.harper@pilotonline.com
