A large fire tore through a nearly 140-year-old jail Wednesday afternoon, forcing the evacuation of more than 200 inmates.
There were no reported inmate or staff injuries, but the Northumberland County Prison appeared to have been destroyed, county officials said. The cause of the fire was not immediately known.
The blaze was reported just after 2 p.m. at the jail in Sunbury, a city of 10,000 about 40 miles north of Harrisburg, according to county dispatchers. Flames and thick smoke shot through the roof.
All 208 inmates were initially taken under heavy guard to a nearby church. County officials told reporters that the male and female inmates were being moved to separate state prisons nearby.
There were no reported injuries to inmates or staff and all inmates were accounted for, Commissioner Stephen Bridy said at the scene. County Commissioner Chairman Vinny Clausi told reporters that the building appeared to be a "total loss."
The jail, a stone building with castle-like parapets, was built in the late-1800s and sits a few blocks off the banks of the Susquehanna River.
A state prison spokeswoman said she could not discuss any prison transfers because of security concerns.
