Investigations continue into source of Yatala Prison fire as likely cause revealed

Police are investigating a deliberate cell fire at Yatala Prison – but the Department of Corrections hasn’t ruled out a problem with “tamper-proof” power points.

The Department of Corrections has failed to rule out whether the deliberately-lit blaze at Yatala Prison was caused by new “tamper-resistant” power points.

On Sunday, two prisoners allegedly set fire to their cell, sparking a major emergency response.

The department is yet to confirm the cause of the fire, but the chief executive, David Brown said it was suspected a power point in a cell was tampered with.

In late October, Police Minister Joe Szakacs announced the rollout of “transparent, tamper-resistant electrical power outlets”.

However, the department failed to rule out whether the cell was fitted with a “tamper-resistant” power point despite confirming Yatala Labour Prison was trailing the new point points.

The power points were designed by local manufacturer Trader GSM based on advice that standard household designs had proven to cause issues for concern among prison staff and management.

Mr Brown was unable to answer questions regarding which power point was installed in the cell.

“There is some suggestion that may have been triggered by tampering with the power point in the cell but we’re still waiting for confirmation,” Mr Brown said.

The fire caused thousands of dollars in damages, according to Mr Brown, damaging the mattress and bedding along with the cell.

Matt Johnson, commercial director of Trader, the manufacturer responsible for the new power points, said the business would be “more than happy to work with the prison to understand the issue, should they deem it necessary”.

“At this stage, Trader (GSM Electrical) is unaware of any link between our products that may or may not have been installed in the relevant section of the prison and the events of Sunday,” Mr Johnson said.

The blazed resulted in SA Police’s STAR Group, SA Ambulance and the Metropolitan Fire Service arriving at the scene.

Five people were taken to hospital for treatment of smoke inhalation, including the two accused.

The two prisoners were identified as a 23-year-old man in prison for less than 12 months for a range of offences including driving dangerously to evade police and a 31-year-old man described as a “high-risk offender” in prison for breaching the conditions of his extended supervision.

Chief executive of the department, David Brown said the fire occurred after the prisoners were told they were moving to a maximum security unit following “abusive and threatening” behaviour towards staff.

“While those arrangements were being made, their behaviour escalated to the point where they started a fire in the cell,” he said.

Emergency services called to Yatala Labour Prison in Northfield. Picture: MATT LOXTON

It is understood the prisoners remain in hospital with the 31-year-old prisoner set to be discharged back into police custody this afternoon.

Three staff members were sent to hospital after the incident but were discharged last night.

A fourth officer self-reported for medical assessment today and the department is in contact with that officer to “make sure that he’s being look after,” according to Mr Brown.

Mr Brown said he hoped the pair were charged, saying lighting a cell fire was one of the most dangerous acts a prisoner could take.

“They (prison officers) preserved life and in fact, I think it’s fair to say they saved the lives of the two prisoners that initiated the incident in the first place,” Mr Brown said.

He added the department has the authority to lay internal charges but believed police would find grounds to lay charges.

Police in riot helmets and shields enter the Yatala Prison at Northfield. Picture: 7NEWS

The decision was made to evacuate the entirety of the division, a call Mr Brown said was unusual but deemed necessary.

He said at capacity the division can host up to 157 prisoners and “usually operates at near capacity”.

Following the fire, multiple physical altercations between “two to five” prisoners occurred, which Mr Brown said was inevitable.

“As is always the case in environment such as a prisons, when you have a large number of prisoners evacuated in short notice you will get some behaviour that is not acceptable,” Mr Brown said.

Mr Brown said the incidents weren’t “serious” and “not medical treatment was required”.

General secretary with the Public Service Association Natasha Brown said the union was concerned the South Australian system was “chronically understaffed”.

“We’ve been holding for a review of staffing across the world prisons in South Australia to make sure that we have at an absolute minimum the amount of staffing and resources to be able to deal with incidents like last night on safely and effectively,” she said.

Mr Brown denied the resourcing claims, saying no concerns had been raised about staffing levels on shift on Sunday.

“I thought the staff handled the incident in accordance with the training and extremely well and manage the evacuation of an entire division and the return of those prisoners to their division in a safe manner,” he said.

Premier Peter Malinauskas said he was not aware of any staffing issues at the prison.

“We know we are dealing with offenders who have demonstrated a capacity, particularly an acute capacity for doing the wrong thing, where ever we see high-security prisons.

“But ultimately we know is controlling prisoners, who have done severely wrong things in the past, is a hard environment to control,” Mr Malinauskas said.

No other incidents were reported at the prison on Sunday.