Sioux Falls, SD – Fire inside state penitentiary carpentry shop put out by fire sprinklers; No injuries reported

A portion of the South Dakota State penitentiary was damaged by a fire Friday night.

Authorities were called to the carpentry shop in the penitentiary at 10 p.m. after prison staff noticed the fire on security cameras, according to scanner traffic. 

Staff responding to the fire encountered smoke, and the fire department was called, according to a release from the Department of Corrections.

The Sioux Falls Fire Department and a sprinkler system extinguished the blaze by 10:45 p.m., the release said. No staff or inmates were in the shop at the time of the fire and there were no injuries. 

The carpentry shop suffered fire and smoke damage, but the amount of damage hasn’t been determined, the release stated.

The carpentry shop is part of Pheasantland Industries, which provides work opportunities and job skills for state prison inmates and makes road signs, customized wooden furniture and printed products.