A serious incident of fire set by four prisoners in their cell at the Crete 1 Detention Centre in Agia, Chania, was successfully managed by prison officers and the management of the Centre.
Specifically, these are four domestic prisoners, who, according to information from the director of the prison, Haralambos Kiomourtzis, at 9.00 pm yesterday requested to be transferred to another wing, due to problems and friction with fellow prisoners in the same cell radius.
Because it was prisoner count time, prison officers told them they would consider the request after the count.
The four inmates, in response and while inside the cell, set one of the mattresses on fire. The fumes created a suffocating atmosphere and as a result they experienced a serious smoke-related problem.
Four prison officers, at the risk of their lives, opened the cell, got the prisoners out and with fire extinguishers managed to put out the fire, which had already spread.
The four prisoners were taken at 11.30pm by ambulance to the Chania Hospital where they received medical services and today they returned to the Correctional Detention Centre.
Three correctional officers who extinguished the fire by intervening, although their shift had ended, were also taken to the hospital due to smoke inhalation, where they were discharged a few hours later. A fire brigade force also arrived at the Detention Centre but did not have to intervene. Investigating officers of the Fire Department took statements about the fire that broke out.
As Mr. Kiomourtzis pointed out, “in addition to the criminal proceedings, disciplinary proceedings will follow for the arsonist prisoners.” He also told APE-MPA that “these prisoners deserve praise because they exceeded themselves in order to save their fellow human beings, even though they are prisoners and the perpetrators of the fire. Their immediate mobilization did not allow lives to be lost, and also prevented the fire from spreading to other cells where there were also prisoners.”
