Inmate-set fire at Fulton County Jail sending 9 to hospital, sheriff says

AtLANTA - An inmate intentionally set a fire inside a shower at the Fulton County Jail on Friday evening, sending nine people to the hospital and triggering a large emergency response, according to the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office.

What we know:

The fire started around 5:15 p.m. in the north tower on the jail’s seventh floor, in a zone where an inmate resident was out for free time, officials said. The inmate gathered plastic trash bags and a plastic bag containing Styrofoam food trays, placed them in a bottom tier shower and set them on fire, causing thick smoke and flames.

Fulton County Sheriff Pat Labat said Atlanta Fire Rescue firefighters quickly located and extinguished the fire. Fire investigators also responded and are conducting an active investigation.

Five inmate residents, including the one accused of starting the fire, and four members of the sheriff’s office were taken to Grady Memorial Hospital for treatment related to smoke inhalation. Two people, including a sheriff’s office lieutenant and one detainee, were intubated. All injured individuals were reported to be in stable condition.

"We have five detainees that have been brought to the hospital and four teammates. So two, two and two have been intubated. Our one of our lieutenants as well as one of the detainees has been intubated. Everyone is stable and ultimately everything else is a part of an ongoing investigation," Labat said. "I do want to reiterate and and thank Atlanta Fire Rescue who ultimately extinguished the fire and left us with an opportunity to make sure everyone else got out alive."

The fire occurred in the 7 North section of the jail, which Labat said has not been renovated. There were 16 inmate residents housed in the specific zone where the fire started. All inmate residents on the seventh floor, a total of 118 people, were moved to the south tower as a precaution.

"It happened on the seven north floor which has not been renovated. And ultimately it was a result of one inmate that gathered a bunch of garbage and placed it in the shower. That's what preliminarily it looks like," Labat said. "And by the time AFRD got there, which was again the amazing coordination between the two, they extinguished the fire."

Multiple Fulton County Sheriff’s Office vehicles, including a prisoner transport van, and numerous Atlanta Fire Rescue units responded to the Rice Street Jail as crews worked to control the scene and evacuate detainees.

Labat said the inmate believed to have started the fire will face additional charges. The investigation remains ongoing.

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:

Authorities have not released the name, age, or custody status of the inmate accused of starting the fire, nor said when formal charges will be filed.

Officials also have not detailed how the fire was ignited beyond the use of garbage, how long it burned before it was detected, or whether surveillance cameras captured the incident.

It remains unclear whether contraband, staffing levels, or security failures played a role, whether any additional inmates were involved, and if the fire will prompt changes to housing assignments or safety protocols in the unrenovated section of the jail.

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.