Inmate and COs injured in Maryland prison fire

Cumberland Times-News

CRESAPTOWN, Md. – A Western Correctional Institution inmate was burned and several correctional officers were taken to the hospital after a fire broke out in a cell Tuesday, the Maryland Office of the State Fire Marshal said.

First responders were called to the McMullen Highway facility around 6:30 p.m

The inmate was flown by a Maryland State Police Trooper 5 helicopter to the Johns Hopkins Burn Center in Baltimore with third-degree burns, investigators said.

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The correctional officers were transported to UPMC Western Maryland where they were treated, according to the fire marshal’s office.

Damage to the cell was estimated at $500. The fire marshal’s office said a fire alarm went off, but the sprinkler system did not activate due to the location of the fire.

The exact cause is still under investigation, but the fire does not appear to have been intentional, investigators said.

Firefighters from Bowling Green, Cresaptown, Rawlings, LaVale, Cumberland, Bedford Road and Ridgeley responded along with ambulances from the Allegany County Department of Emergency Services, Cresaptown and Ridgeley.

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