Early morning fire reported in prison laundry room

A fire was reported early Thursday morning in the laundry room of SCI Phoenix.

Representatives from the Montgomery County Department of Public Safety and SCI Phoenix confirmed the incident Thursday afternoon.

According to the county’s radio dispatch system, firefighters from a number of area departments went to the state prison around 1:22 a.m. after receiving notice of a fire in the facility’s laundry room.

While the Skippack Fire Company arrived first on scene, several others assisted including units from Collegeville, Perkiomen Township, Towamencin, and Worcester, according to Todd Stieritz, public affairs coordinator for the county’s public safety department.

In addition to the Pennsylvania State Police, Skippack Emergency Medical Services and Trappe Fire Company

Emergency Medical Services responded.

The incident commander found instances of “heavy smoke,” and “multiple laundry bins on fire” and/or “melted together,” according to a report issued to the emergency communications center. Crews later cleared the scene at 3:53 a.m.

Gina Orlando, superintendent’s assiswtant for the prison, said that “an alarm sounded SCI Phoenix’s fire suppression system, alerting to an incident in the laundry area,” and “the fire suppression system was able to extinguish the fire.”

Orlando clarified that “there was no structural damage to the facility, with the exception of a few laundry carts,” and no one was injured as a result of the incident.

The prison’s laundry system is set to resume Friday, according to Orlando.

The circumstances leading up to the blaze are unclear and the Pennsylvania State Police Fire Marshal will investigate the matter, she said.