All inmates evacuated from Portsmouth city jail after basement fire – The Virginian-Pilot

PORTSMOUTH — All inmates at the Portsmouth City Jail were evacuated to an undisclosed location early Sunday morning after a fire broke out in the facility's basement, according to jail officials and firefighters.

The fire, first reported at 1:38 a.m., broke out in a tool room, according to a fire department press release. It was later upgraded to a two-alarm fire and was not brought under control until 4:21 a.m., according to the release.

As smoke quickly began to spread throughout the eight-story building, authorities decided to evacuate all inmates, the statement said. The location has not been identified, and a sheriff's spokesman did not respond to messages Sunday asking how many inmates were involved.

All inmates and prison staff were later accounted for, and no injuries among them were reported, according to the statement. One firefighter was transported to the hospital for evaluation and is in stable condition.

The city recently announced plans to purchase the Hampton Roads Regional Jail on Elmhurst Lane in Portsmouth.

The regional jail — which had housed surplus inmates from Portsmouth, Chesapeake, Norfolk, Hampton and Newport News since it opened in 1998 — recently closed its doors. Prison officials voted last month in favor of the sale to Portsmouth. Municipal authorities then declared that the detainees could be transferred there as early as July.

The current city jail can hold 288 inmates, while the Hampton Roads Regional Jail has a capacity of up to 1,300.

Jane Harper, [email protected]