A fire destroyed a storage building at the Bledsoe County Correctional Complex west of Pikeville, but some goats inside the structure managed to escape.
Firefighters from Piney Volunteer Fire Department in Van Buren County assisted the Pikeville Fire Department in Bledsoe County, along with crews from surrounding communities, battling the blaze reported around 6 a.m. Sunday at the state prison on Horsehead Road, according to a news release from the Piney Volunteer Fire Department.
"A structure used to house farm equipment at the Bledsoe County Correctional Complex caught fire on Sunday morning," Rob Reburn, spokesperson for the Tennessee Department of Correction, said by email. "The fire was quickly contained. No staff or inmates were impacted."
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Reburn said he was unaware any goats were being kept in the structure during the fire or any other time. According to the prison website, the prison's programs for inmates include an agriculture section in which inmates learn to care for farm animals and how the agricultural market works, according to information on rehabilitative programs at the prison.
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The storage building was completely destroyed, the release said, and firefighters were told a heating stove was being used in the building for some goats.
"All animals thankfully escaped," the release said.
Firefighting efforts were hampered by the frigid temperatures. Thermometers in firefighters' vehicles showed the temperature at -5 degrees, officials said in the release. Water hoses used by firefighters couldn't be shut off because the controls would freeze if the water stopped flowing.
"It is not something we deal with often," officials said.
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Among agencies lending equipment and manpower to fight the fire were Mt. Crest Volunteer Fire Department, Nine Mile Volunteer Fire Department, Fall Creek Falls Fire Department and Bledsoe County Emergency Management Agency, officials said.
"Please use care when providing heat for outdoor animals," Piney fire officials said.
Contact Ben Benton at bbenton@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6569.