By C1 Staff
MELBOURNE, Australia — A fire broke out at the Ravenhall prison where 300 inmates rioted over a smoking ban the day before.
Fire trucks responded to the blaze around 11 a.m., according to The Guardian.
Prison staff began cleaning up the prison after the 15-hour riot the night before. According to authorities, “several hundred” police and emergency service officers were involved in bringing the prisoners under control.
An investigation into the incident is still underway, and police remain at the facility “until corrections are satisfied that security is being maintained,” according to Victoria Police assistant commissioner Stephen Leane.
Damage assessments are currently being conducted, but it’s still too early to estimate the amount caused by the riot.
Prisoners at the remand center were prepped for 18 months before the smoking ban went into effect, but since the facility is a remand center, the high rate of new detainees being brought in meant not all would be prepared for the ban to the same extent as longer-term prisoners.
About 80 percent of Australia’s prison population smokes.