Extensive damage from Friday night's fiery rioting at Northpoint Training Center at Burgin forced the transfer of some of its 1,200 prisoners to other facilities Saturday.
By 1 a.m., firefighters had extinguished the blazes at the medium-security prison in Boyle County about 5 miles north of Danville.
The inmates were quarantined in the prison yard overnight, according to Jay Blanton, a spokesman for Gov. Steve Beshear.
Earlier in the evening, inmates at the facility set fire to several buildings, including areas that housed the kitchen, medical services facility, canteen and sanitation services. Also damaged were visiting areas and the multi-purpose building.
All but one of the dormitories were damaged so severely that they’re uninhabitable. The one still habitable can house 196 inmates.
Warden Steve Haney and officials from Frankfort continue to assess the damage.
Eight staff members and eight inmates sustained minor injuries, Blanton said. There were no escapes during the rioting, he added, and no hostages were taken.
Corrections officials are investigating what prompted the disturbance. The prison had been on lockdown since Tuesday. Northpoint Public Information Officer Mendolyn Cochran confirmed that officials are investigating an incident in which 10 to 15 Hispanic inmates assaulted a black inmate and white inmate. Cochran declined to provide additional details.
Kentucky State Police are patrolling the prison’s outside perimeter, while Corrections officers are providing security within the prison compound. Lexington police and other Central Kentucky police agencies were also summoned to the prison.
Read the full story at Kentucky.com.