Why inmates set a fire in Henry County jail

Inmates are safely secured after a fire early Wednesday in the Henry County Jail.

"Thank God no one was injured," Sheriff Richard A. McCorkle told IndyStar. "This could have been a worse story."

Some inmates started the fire in an effort to disable the locks and access a common area, McCorkle said.

"In the past they were able to stuff enough material in the bulkhead, get heat in it and it would weaken the rubber gaskets," McCorkle said.

The jail recently upgraded the locks, McCorkle said. Heat doesn't disable them anymore.

Inmates tried to test the new equipment about 2 a.m. Wednesday morning.

They built a fire and the door wouldn't budge, McCorkle said. They added material to the fire and when it grew too big to contain, they called for help.

The 126 inmates were evacuated to an inside recreation area while the New Castle Fire Department brought the fire under control. They were returned to their cells after about 90 minutes, McCorkle said.

The Indiana State Police and New Castle Police helped secure the prisoners, McCorkle said. Inmates and jail staff were cleaning up Wednesday morning.

Officials were investigating to determine who set the fire. The cell area is monitored by video but the smoke from the fire obscured the recording of parts of the incident, McCorkle said.

Call IndyStar reporter Vic Ryckaert at (317) 444-2701. Follow him on Twitter: @vicryc.