Fire at Fulton County Jail sends multiple people to hospital | What we know

Fulton County Jail fire: Multiple injuries

A heavy police and fire department response surrounded the Fulton County Jail on Friday evening as crews worked an active fire inside the facility.

AtLANTA - A heavy police and fire department response surrounded the Fulton County Jail on Friday evening as crews worked an active fire inside the facility.

What we know:

SKYFOX 5 flew over the Rice Street jail around 6:20 p.m. and captured multiple fire trucks and police units positioned around the complex, with blue and red emergency lights flashing across the area.

Atlanta firefighters confirmed they were called to the jail for a fire and said several people were taken to the hospital. Officials said those individuals were transported to Grady Memorial Hospital. No information has been released about the extent of injuries or what sparked the fire.

What they're saying:

Atlanta Fire provided a brief update while crews were still working the scene:

"We are on scene, full force working a fire at the jail. Several were transported to Grady. We’ll have more info a little later, probably a presser," the department said.

What we don't know:

Officials have not said what caused the fire, where inside the jail it started, or how long it burned before crews arrived. 

Authorities have not released the number of people transported to the hospital, their conditions, or whether they were inmates or staff.

It is also unclear whether any areas of the jail were evacuated or if operations inside the facility were disrupted. 

Dig deeper:

This is not the first time crews have responded to a fire at the Fulton County Jail in recent years.

In December 2023, an inmate intentionally set fire to a jail cell, forcing the relocation of about 15 people housed in that area.

In October 2020, deputies said three inmates set fire to a mattress cover inside a cell.

The backstory:

Fulton County’s main detention center on Rice Street has been under intense scrutiny in recent years for unsafe, overcrowded and deteriorating conditions that federal authorities say violate inmates’ constitutional rights. 

The U.S. Department of Justice opened a civil investigation after multiple deaths inside the jail, including the 2022 death of Lashawn Thompson in a cell infested with insects, and found widespread violence, inadequate medical and mental health care, and unsanitary conditions. 

That probe led to a federal consent decree requiring reforms such as improved supervision, staffing and health care, and the appointment of an independent monitor to oversee compliance.

 Fulton County officials and the sheriff’s office have clashed with the Board of Commissioners over how to address the crisis, with the sheriff backing construction of an entirely new jail and commissioners initially opting for major renovations and more recently approving a multibillion-dollar plan that includes both renovation and new facility construction.