Local News

Fire at Durham County jail prompts brief evacuation

Inmates at the Durham County jail were evacuated for a short time early Tuesday morning after a fire in the dryer room set off sprinklers, authorities said.

Posted Updated

DURHAM, N.C. — Inmates at the Durham County jail were evacuated for a short time early Tuesday morning after a fire in the dryer room set off sprinklers, authorities said. 

According to officials with the Durham Fire Department, the call about a fire came in about 3 a.m. because a dryer vent and the back of a dryer caught fire and tripped the sprinkler system. 

The sprinklers were able to put out the fire, officials said. 

Once firefighters realized the fire was out and that there was no risk to inmates or staff, the evacuation was discontinued and inmates returned to their cells. 

No information about what caused the fire was released.

 Credits 

Copyright 2024 by Capitol Broadcasting Company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.