An inmate housed at a juvenile detention center in Durango set a pile of papers, clothes and sheets on fire Friday night, causing the fire alarm to sound and requiring the relocation of students to another part of the facility.
The incident was reported at 9:27 p.m. at the Robert E. DeNier Youth Services Center at 720 Turner Drive in Bodo Industrial Park.
A female student used a lighter to set the pile on fire in her room, said Steve Harris with Durango Fire Protection District.
Staff immediately noticed the fire, removed the girl from her cell and doused the blaze with a fire extinguisher, he said. No one was injured in the fire. A wall was singed, but damage was minimal, Harris said.
“Staff did a great job of reacting,” he said. “That facility takes great pride in doing a really great job. They usually have no (fire code) violations.”
Karen Murray, program director at DeNier, characterized it as an act of vandalism in a news release to the Herald.
“Officials are investigating how a lighter may have been smuggled into the secure facility,” she said. “Most important is that all students and staff are safe and no one was injured and there is no damage to the facility.”
The Durango Police Department is investigating and will turn over its findings to the 6th Judicial District Attorney’s Office for possible charges against the girl.
Harris said smoke from the fire caused the sprinkler system to go into “pre-action” mode, but it needed another signal to release water, for example, a detection of heat or someone physically activating an alarm in the building.
shane@durangoherald.com
