Power shut off in part of Miami Correctional Facility due to inmates starting fires, official says

MIAMI COUNTY, Ind.—Part of Miami Correctional Facility was without power for about 20 hours, starting in the evening of January 27, according to an Indiana Department of Correction official.

The official said the outage affected one side of a cell block with about 102 offenders.

From about 7 p.m. on January 27 until about 2:30 p.m. on January 28, the offenders were without power and water in their cells.

According to the official, the outage was a result of some offenders using the electrical outlet in their cell to light fires with combustible material, like paper and toilet paper.

The official said in order to prevent attempts to start additional fires, power was shut off for the 51 cells and the offenders were placed on lock down, meaning they could not leave their cell.

While the power was off, toilets were unable to flush and offenders were taken two at a time for showers.

Power was restored to the cells on Tuesday afternoon.

The official said that the offenders on the side of the cell block with the outage have a history of “inappropriate behavior.”