Corrections officer and a firefighter are injured after inmates sparked a blaze by setting trash alight at sprawling Manhattan jail known as The Tombs
- The fire started on the ninth floor of the Manhattan Detention Complex jail
- The FDNY responded to a call from the jail at about 8.30pm Friday
- The FDNY said that the inmates had started a trash fire and it spread to two or three cells before being put out
A fire broke out at New York City’s Manhattan Detention Complex Friday night, injuring one corrections officer.
The fire started Friday night at about 8.30pm on the ninth floor of the jail – nicknamed ‘The Tombs’ – in Lower Manhattan.
FDNY Deputy Chief Joseph Schiralli said that inmates had started a trash fire and that two or three cells had been involved, ABC 7 reported.
A person in uniform is pictured being carried away on a stretcher after the FDNY responded to a fire that had been started on the ninth floor of NYC’s Manhattan Detention Complex
A corrections officer and a firefighter were said to have sustained minor injuries during the incident
Fire trucks are seen on the street near the jail (left) while the FDNY responded to the fire, which started at about 8.30pm Friday night. Firefighters are seen outside the jail’s entrance (right)
Cells in the jail were said to have been occupied, but that corrections officers were able to evacuate the inmates housed on the ninth floor of the 18-story building.
The New York Post reported that inmates were put onto two NYPD Corrections buses and that the fire was put out at 9.45pm.
A corrections officer who had an asthma attack was reported to have suffered a minor injury and taken to a local hospital.
Video shared on the Citizen App showed a person in uniform being taken away on a stretcher.
A firefighter was also reported to have sustained a minor injury during the incident.
The Manhattan Detention Complex is one of four municipal jail buildings – all known as The Tombs – which have stood on the site over the years since 1838.
The Manhattan Detention Complex (pictured in a file image) is one of four municipal jail buildings – all known as The Tombs – which have stood on the site over the years since 1838