Fire that killed inmate ruled accidental

MICHIGAN CITY, Ind. -

The fire that killed inmate Joshua Devine at the Indiana State Prison on April 9th was ruled accidental, according to prison Superintendent Ron Neal.

Devine, 30, was serving a 16 year prison sentence for attempted robbery.

The Indiana Department of Corrections says the fire started along the wall of the cell in, on or around the television.

Devine's official cause of death was thermal burns.

The State Fire Marshall and coroner both stated Devine may have been altering electrical equipment in his cell, according to a press release from the Indiana State Prison in Michigan City.

Pam James, the spokeswoman for the ISP, says everything was fine at last check.

“At 9 p.m. our officials went through our standard count time. Count is where all offenders are physically observed and counted or we have that 5 times a day, and everything was fine at 9 p.m.” said Pam James, spokesperson for Indiana State Prison.