400 inmates must be transferred to other Texas facilities after fire at Huntsville prison, TDCJ says
HUNTSVILLE, Texas (KTRK) -- A fire at the Texas State Penitentiary in Huntsville forced hundreds of inmates to evacuate on Friday morning and thanks to the damage, hundreds of them must be transported to other Texas facilities.
Video from Friday morning shows flames and smoke coming from the prison, also known as the "Walls Unit."
The Texas Department of Criminal Justice said the fire started just before 2:30 a.m. Friday. When firefighters arrived, they found heavy fire coming from one of the cell blocks.
Multiple agencies from the area, including the Huntsville Fire Department, responded to help battle the flames. The prison is located in downtown Huntsville off 11th Street and Avenue I.
Officials said approximately 655 inmates were evacuated and relocated to a secure location within the facility. No injuries were reported and everyone is accounted for, TDCJ said.
"I think that right now we're just assessing the damage, just making sure everyone is safe. We believe they are. If we need to transfer them to different facilities throughout the state, then we will absolutely do that," TDCJ Director of Communications Amanda Hernandez said. "But right now, we are just assessing and getting a plan to move forward."
In an update Friday afternoon, a spokesperson with TDCJ said approximately 400 inmates will be transferred to other facilities across the state, and those transfers will happen on Friday.
The Huntsville Fire Department said the fire was contained, but crews were still working to extinguish small fires throughout the facility. Video showed smoke still coming from the building as firefighters doused it with water around 7 a.m.
TDCJ said the damage appears to mainly be in the attic of the west building and the attic and third floor of the administration building. SkyEye video from over the prison shows heavy damage to the roof.
The cause of the fire is not yet known, officials said. The State Fire Marshal's Office is the lead investigating agency.
At one point, ABC13 crews watched as someone who appeared to be a correctional officer tried to go back into the burning prison, but turned around. The smoke appeared to be too much to handle.
"Units are out to the Walls Unit. At this time, there is going to be smoke coming from the west building. It was building from the A picket -- the 4-story cell block. They are evacuating now," officials reported on radio traffic when the flames were first sparked. "Ladder 91 - I have flames going through the roof."
According to the TDCJ website, the prison has a capacity of over 1,700 inmates, all male, and a total of 446 employees. Around 330 of the employees are with security.
As of Friday, the 174-year-old prison has a population of approximately 1,600 inmates, TDCJ said.
The chamber used to execute Texas death row inmates is located in the Walls Unit. TDCJ said the next scheduled execution is in October and they don't anticipate any impacts.
SEE ALSO: ABC13 Vault: The 1974 Huntsville prison siege and shootout
