LITTLE VILLAGE — Inmates at Cook County Jail started a fire that sent four corrections officers to the hospital.
The incident happened Saturday night in the jail's super-maximum security division.
The fire, officials in the Cook County Sheriff's Office said, was started by inmates who were trying to destroy specially designated jumpsuits that identify them as "problematic detainees who engage in sexual misconduct." The inmates used a microwave to ignite a wick to light the uniforms on fire, a statement said released Monday said.
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In the video of a common area, inmates can be seen putting clothes on the ground before another walks over from an off-camera area and lights the pile on fire. After the fire is lit inmates can be seen pumping their fists and walking away while others add more clothes to the fire, including some clothes thrown from a raised walkway. The room quickly fills up with smoke. One inmate can be seen dragging another across the room.
The fire burns for about 2.5 minutes until it appears to go out.
In another video, guards can be seen pulling inmates out of the room into a basketball court. The officers can be seen covering their faces as smoke enters the room.
Two of the officers injured suffered smoke inhalation, while two others were injured while trying to secure the unit, officials said.
"This incident is the latest reminder of the exceptionally difficult job performed each and every day by the men and women of the Cook County Sheriff's Office," official said in the statement.
In January, jail security cameras caught a brawl that injured five inmates.
