Inmates set fires at Sudbury jail after lockdown: ministry

Firefighters were called to the Sudbury Jail three times on Saturday afternoon because of fires set by inmates.

Greater Sudbury FireServices platoonChief George Lalondetold CBC News thatthe fires were out by the time they arrived.

• Sudbury's John Howard Society calls for health care reform in jails
• Doing time in Sudbury jail could mean you get out faster

The Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services said in a release two units at the jail were in lockdown situation because of a "disruption."

In thatwritten statement, the ministry saidinmates did light some small fires in response to being locked down, but those fires were put out by the jail staff.

No injuries were reported, and theministry is investigating.

Nathan Aubin, the president of OPSEU Local 617 representing workers at the Sudbury jail, saida small group of inmates lit a series of fire as a protest and threatened to harm some of the guards.

The jail's crisis response team, made up of guards who are more heavily armed, was called in and removed the offenders.

"This was nothing more than a temper tantrum, I'll call it, by offenders," Aubin said.

"Sometimes the offenders don't care for those rules. Again, they are individuals who don't like to follow rules to begin with, and this was one of those cases that my members have to deal with on a daily basis."

Aubinsaidit seems serious incidents like this are on the rise in jails across Ontario.

"It's not something talked about what correctional officers do every day," he said.

"We don't have firefighters in the jail, we don't have paramedics in the jail. A correctional officer has to do that daily. And I don't think they're recognized for it."