Inmates at the Georgetown Prison on Camp Street last evening started a fire in a cell on the new capital wing, but quick response from the Guyana Fire Service prevented it from spreading.
The fire started around 8.20 pm in a cell and up to press time last night the prison was on lockdown as members of Joint Services conducted investigations.
When Stabroek News arrived at the scene, the fire was already under control and police presence was heavy at the barricades surrounding the prison. A single fire truck was on the scene.
One prison official, who was on the scene when Stabroek News arrived, said the fire began in a cell in the recently renovated section of the prison. He said firefighters arrived promptly and managed to control it before it spread to other parts of the prison.
Over the years there have been many incidents of prisoners setting fire to mattresses and protesting for different things and questions continue to be raised as to how inmates get hold of flammable materials.
