2 dead after riot and fire in Quebec prison

14 inmates were involved in a "violent altercation" that led to mattress burning and death

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CorrectionsOne.com Staff

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Two inmates are dead and another six have been hospitalized after a fire was started during a riot in a Quebec prison.

At 9:30pm on Wednesday, a "violent altercation" in a wing of the Quebec Detention Centre sparked the riot, the BBC is reporting.

When the warden tried to intervene, some inmates set fire to mattresses and clothes.

The prisoners’ bodies were discovered after the fires were extinguished, officials said.

Marc Lyrette, a spokesperson for Quebec’s Ministry of Public Security, told CTV.ca that 14 inmates were involved in the riot, yet it was unclear what exactly had caused it.

No officers or other staff members were injured.

"Our staff reacted quickly, but unfortunately we have to report that lives were lost," Johanne Beausoleil, spokeswoman for Quebec correctional services told reporters.

She rejected the notion that the prison was overcrowded.

Provincial police and prison officials are now investigating the incident. The wing where the riot took place has been sealed.

This is not the first riot at the Quebec Detention Center. The last one occurred in February 2008 after a smoking ban was introduced.