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| Inmate injured in fire at jail |
| By The Republican |
| Published: 07/16/2004 |
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An inmate at the Hampden County (Mass.) Correctional Center in Ludlow who was under a mental-health watch was injured Tuesday after he set a fire in his cell, according to a jail official. The inmate was transported to Baystate Medical Center in Springfield for treatment of serious burns following the apparent suicide attempt, said spokesman Richard McCarthy. He was released from Baystate and has since been transferred to Bridgewater State Hospital for observation, McCarthy said. The jail is not allowed to release the inmate's identity. McCarthy said his family has been notified. The fire was believed to have been started by a cigarette lighter that was smuggled into the jail. Matches and lighters are considered contraband, McCarthy said. After the fire started, officers rushed into the cell block without breathing protection to pull the inmate from the cell, perform first aid and combat the fire, McCarthy said. Seven officers were sent Baystate to be checked for possible smoke inhalation. Each was eventually released. The inmate had been at the facility for one day. He was ordered held on $1,500 bail on charges of breaking and entering, violating a restraining order, disorderly conduct and malicious damage of less than $250. He was placed in the jail's isolation ward because he was deemed in need observation for mental health problems. Officers are required to check on inmates in that ward every 30 minutes, McCarthy said. Fourteen minutes passed between the last check-up at 3:31 p.m. and the discovery of the fire at 3:45 p.m., McCarthy said. Officers observed the fire before the ward's smoke detectors were activated, he said. There was minor damage to the cell. The jail's stabilization unit, which had provided special attention to 9 percent of inmates with mental problems, was eliminated last year due to budget cuts, McCarthy said. |
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