Mar 15, 2006 By The 2 min read

A mattress in a third-floor cell in the Fayette County Prison caught fire Monday night, but it was quickly extinguished and no one was injured, Warden Larry Medlock said. The fire started around 10:40 p.m. in a cell occupied by a male inmate after the regular 10 p.m. lockdown when all cells are locked for the night, he said.

A guard extinguished the fire with a water hose and pulled the mattress out of the cell before the Uniontown Fire Department arrived.

The fire department used fans to ventilate smoke from the floor and left the scene at 11:15 p.m.

The other inmates on the floor were evacuated to another cellblock, but have been returned.

“It’s just amazing why a guy would start a fire in his cell,” Medlock said.

He said state police investigated the fire and charges will be filed against the inmate.

The fire was in a two-person cell in the restricted housing unit, but the inmate did not have a cellmate, Medlock said.

The inmate remains in the prison, but was moved to another area, he said.

Fires occasionally occur in the prison, Medlock said. Inmates find different ways to start them to heat up food they sneak out of the cafeteria or to warm up coffee, he said.